Family Relationships

A poem about family relationships, based on a photo I'd seen of an Irish actor I admire with his late father. It made me think of my relationship with my own father, and from there a poem was born.

Standing side-by-side,

You sense the admiration,

The absolute closeness they shared.

You feel the respect and love flowing through them.

 

I do not have that same connection.

I used to, but those days are gone.

If I stand beside him,

I don’t feel safe, I don’t feel respectful.

 

Instead, I feel animosity,

The ever-constant loss of any shred of respect

I might have held in the past.

I don’t feel that he has my best interests at heart.

 

I look at a photo from years ago,

And I feel lost.

I see the animosity brewing,

And I realize only how much stronger it has become.

 

I then see this photo of a stranger,

This man who respected his father,

Missing his guidance and presence

In every moment of his waking life.

 

I wish I had that same relationship.

I then realize that I do,

Just with my mom.

 

Like him,

Functioning without my mother seems unreal.

I would miss her voice,

Her annoying laughter,

How calm she makes me feel.

 

It is amazing how a photo

Can make you evaluate your

Family situation.