perfect creases

perfect creases

 

 

dads and discipline

belts and welts

and love

 

harsh straps 

arms wrapped

in fatherly embrace

 

he is a conundrum

the tough guy

mom's lover

 

the tie at Christmas

the smile at the same pattern

as last year

 

in the spring

line in the water

finger holding it in place

lightly

catching a few winks

until the reel races

 

intensity as the movie nears the end

the vase sits lonely at the next table

he comments

 

I move it near him,

he grumbles

maybe he felt like a rose

that never quite opened up

 

so much he kept to himself

for the sake of letting others 

unwrap the gift of life

 

he never let on,

never needed to

until that vase broke

and he knew his roses

had bloomed their last.

 

 

erin-cilberto

3/7/23

Reviews

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Had to come back around in order to add the well deserved top notch points that I forgot first time around ...

[Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn..]

Jacob,

Thou hast hast set to pen of page a very moving and touching piece of Poetry that doth speak of that sadder part of endearing relationships ...

Marvin Thomas Cox-Flynn de Graham

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you, Marvin....he was a good man and I miss him greatly.
j.

[William Michael Reeves]

The paper life is wrapped in keeps its creases for all the lives that follow the one unwrapped. For some reason I also thought of all the young men of today who don't know the pain of the belt. Or in my case a yardstick. Doesn't seem like a dad these days is allowed to have that dichotomy of being the bad guy who hides in detachment but somehow finds a way to nurture ... in his way.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, William.
and thank you for your extended visit to my pages.
j.

[Pete]

title immediately drew. felt familiar to me. a different generation with their own ideas about things. love the roses and vase. the role of a father never an easy thing ... :)

[jacob erin-cilberto]

thank you for your words, Pete,
j.

[John the Baptist]

This one is probably about a real father, but it reveals something of how the old style fathers saw their roles. They could be stern disciplinarians but knew how to embrace. They " felt like a rose but never quite opened up." They did tend to keep their tender emotions to themselves. But they were there for the rest of the family to guide them through the storms of life.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, my dad exactly...thanks, John.
j.

[rmarrwrites]

Really great. I can tell you loved him despite his faults, but never completely knew him. Sad to think of the roles fathers of that generation felt like they had to play for their whole lives, even as the world changed so much around them in later years.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

towards the end more than the early years.
thank you, marrwrites.
j.

[Chris Shaw]

That was what it was like back then. I got whacked by my Dad. Never thought any the less of him for it. It was called discipline. The boys got whacked at school too, and if they dared to mention that at home, they got another one as well for upsetting the teacher. When I read here about your Dad, I think of mine too. The stiff upper lip. Kept their emotions to themselves. The breadwinners in the family. I adored my Dad. My Dad mellowed later in life, died at 60 and I have felt cheated of his company for years. One thing I know for sure, he had the greatest love for my mum and us kids. He had his flaws. We all do. Great poem dear J.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

yes, big difference between discipline and abuse.
And we needed some discipline to learn respect.
thank you, Chris.
I am so sorry you lost your dad at such a young age.
j.

[Coyote Poetry]

I believe Jacob. Most of us keep our secrets. Some topics, we want to lose.
"so much he kept to himself
for the sake of letting others
unwrap the gift of life"
My father and my grandfathers rarely told of the bad things. Maybe to protect us or protect themselves. Thank you my friend for sharing the outstanding poetry.
Coyote

[jacob erin-cilberto]

they were the rocks, they had to steady the ship.
thank you, Coyote,
j.

[Coyote Poetry]

I agree Jacob and you are welcome.

[Linda Marie Van Tassell]

Discipline never hurts a child. One can look around at the world today and see what a lack of discipline and a lack of a father in the household has wrought us. It doesn't bode well for society as a whole.

When viewed from the perspective of the child, however, it can be perceived very differently. As long as the discipline is done with love and does not border on abuse, I think it's a good thing.

I feel a sadness in your words but also an understanding. Most of all, I feel empathy for your father.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, kids grow up very differently today...
and I agree completely with what you said here, Linda Marie,
j.

[Sami Khalil]

"harsh straps

arms wrapped

in fatherly embrace



he is a conundrum"