On You, Across The Table

We all want to believe our children will love us
Hold us, kiss us, stay with us,
and wrap their little hands around our fingers
Big eyes watch big people with big love

But they're a squirmy type
Run away, out of our arms
No matter how far we stretch

Exploring dust bunnies in corners
Carrying shoes to bury in the sand box
They all, will all, run away

And you see then,
Perhaps they are not yours.

Individuals behind those big eyes
And we, again, are left to watch
Like past loves left,
Mother, fathers, gone,
And a thousand friends,
drifted away

We own no one,
Our children owe nothing
And we will all realize how little we are
How alone we are

And in that we must find some happiness
We must find some truth
For them, for us,
For you

Reviews

[Nathan Strange]

Hey man, Charles, I've never read much of your stuff and I'm not gonna blow sunshine up your arse as you are the owner of the website. Let me tell you something pal, this is f*****g good mate. It sums up how I feel at the moment! I'm just sitting in front of my computer screen waiting for the computer to speak to me, waiting for reviews. I'm too tired to review at the moment, I can't think let alone read!
I have a beer in front of me sitting by the keyboard. My forehead is creased up, my eyes black, yet I sit here endlessly, waiting for inspiration to write something. I have this dying urge to want to produce just something, even if it's tedious, yet I know that I'm in no state of mind to write anything half decent.
I saw you were on line and thought, let me read something of Charles's for once. He is responsible for this site. Well man your words spoke to me, that last stanza;

Unable to maintain this moment
This connection
This intimacy
Required to record it
Such is the curse of a writer

[duff]

There is major depth to this. It just flows and there are some killer lines.

"We own no one,
Our children owe nothing
And we will all realize how little we are
How alone we are"

Words that pack a punch. Nice work.

[Neon]

Yes, Your right, Charley, "We must find some truth, some love, some peace, joy, happiness and faith for us." Well penned write, Charley. It's touched my heart.

Keep up the great work!

[Kim's Poems]

This is such an emotional read Charles, Love it, it gripped at my heart.
So nicely done.

[Groovy]

absolutely brilliant

[November Gold]

this one brought tears to my eyes, it hit a little too close to home for me right now. But its brilliantly written and the message powerfully delivered

[Kiri Nells]

I really love this! Woot! Great job, Charles!

[Adora.xo]

Awesome job on this love! You've captured a reality in a very beautiful way!

~Adora

[cest la vie]

Parenthood.. Double edged sword..
we have to be the example we wish them to be.. such a joyride for both parties.. at least for me it is/was. children are only borrowed to us for a time, but the love, blood in the veins is an eternal thing..
I like this write, quite a bit...

[J.P. Bristow]

Charles-
This brings to mind that saying about family- I have to love them...but I don't have to like them. As we grow some of the lucky few come to see our parents not as the authority figures or confidants of childhood but as people and as our circle widens- this scope of choice dictates a new step in the evolutionary relationship that is the parent child dynamic that is a must. We get to that point where we cannot be what they want but can choose to be what we want and some realize this too late and some never do- but for those selfish creatures that realize it early and grab the first train of adventure-that sense of loss- that cut connection....the severing of the umbilical cord is felt acutely and we are unconsciously left searching for that place within ourselves or if we are lucky with another to renew the process again.

On the other hand the parent that cannot let go or has lost themselves in the belief that their child defines their life-well they should seriously read this work of yours. You know that parent that lives vicariously through their seeds accomplishments or judge their kids lives based on preset ideals- its sadly continued today and though we like to think it a Victorian or archaic way to live: it remains a guilty monkey on the back of many a modern mind. My boyfriend the consumate momma's boy with token overbearing and cliched Jewish mother who is always having palpatations when he disagrees and with her thick east Rochester slang "is vaclempting this and shmearing that" ...it was like you wrote this just for her......the education of parents.....maybe she just needs a new hobby lol

thanks for sharing!