The Man that Raised Me

 

He never had to take me in,

I was not his to raise,

He made the choice to keep me safe,

Through all my childhood days.

I was not his child by marriage,

Nor was I by birth.

He scooped me up and sheltered me,

From everything on earth.

 

He was not always a kind man,

Sometimes he’d scream and shout.

But looking back with grown up eyes,

I surely have no doubt.

He was simply preparing me,

For what was up ahead.

Through his rants, raves, and disciplines,

It was by acts he lead.

 

He showed me how to live my life,

With discipline and class,

Gave me rules, and taught me lessons

That surely were to last.

I did not know then as a child,

How much I loved him so.

I was sure a life without him,

Was one I’d never know.

 

So when my phone rang that morning,

Mom told me of the wreck,

My heart stopped beating, my breath ceased,

There were hands around my neck.

I heard voices all around me,

But none of them were clear.

I could not focus on their words,

For I was deaf with fear.

 

Had he sat there all night in pain,

Imploring death to come?

Or did he make his peace with God?

To death did he succumb?

For there were eleven hours

Before the car was found.

No one was there to hold his hand,

As angels gathered round.

 

I will never forgive myself,

For not showing my love.

As I place flowers on his grave,

And talk to God above.

Reviews

[Everchanging Disaster]

Ok I can hardly see to type through the water but this was very well written-the transition from childhood to his loss is a very abrupt one, and so it should be-the words you chose give the reader no choice but to feel how you are feeling...
"My heart stopped beating, my breath ceased,
There were hands around my neck."
Or
"I could not focus on their words,
For I was deaf with fear."
At that moment my breath ceased as well.

The only thing I noticed that threw me off a bit was the punctuation in line 4, stanza 2 I think if it were a comma, it would lead into the next line a bit smoother.

All in all-a GREAT read!

[Ellen Hammond]

What a lovely, heartfelt tribute! It evokes a lot of emotions and it's very well rhymed and penned so flows with my tears.

[An Open Venue]

there are few men who know the difference between father and dad; this fills me with tears as the world lost a dad it sorely needed - heart felt and beautiful.
Ven

[JudyC]

You very effectively allow us to get to know this man and your feelings toward him. By sharing his strengths and weaknesses with us, we see him as a complete person. The news of his death is thus shattering for us, as well as for you. This poem could help someone dealing with a similar loss begin to heal. Thanks for this poem.

[Delilah Dunn]

Whoa.

Okay that's the second time that you've made me cry today, and that is WELL past the quota! :)
Where to begin?
This poem speaks volumes to those who have lost someone that they took for granted, and for myself that rings much truer than many, as every family member I have lost was taken for granted badly at one time or another. The rhyme scheme becomes a bit "sing-songy" in places, but is NOT a distraction from the main attraction - The honesty and realism of your poetry, which is the most powerful part of it all. And the sudden change from description of a man you loved and looked up to, to a series of events and emotions is classic and very, very effective. Great work, yet again. Thanks for another powerful read!

[Sammie]

This is a very, very, very touching poem, and I guess it means more to me since I know exactly how you felt about him. I think this shows how much you loved him, in a different, sentimental way. Hard to explain, but.. it brought tears to my eyes. =]