For You

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

[Marc Mccune]

I am here, in this place you describe so well.

Alone, in the middle. Alone as a son and a father.
Both drawing away, and having been drawn away from.

My father; me, a father and
My sons; me a son.

And do they see the writer's heart I wear on my writer's sleeve, my parents, my children. me, in the middle.

[- - - - - - - - - >] Likemeter(tm)

[L. L. Jacobson]

Charlie-
one word:
B R E A T H T A K I N G .

I have two sons of my own, and the realism of the reality of these words, this poem, your wisdom, hits me.

We own no one,

...that right there is prophetic. People are loans from the universe, and we must take (good) care of them, or they leave. But then you have a line like this:

drifted away that bring all of that into one perspective: they do (leave)- it's inevitable.

Thanks for a moment of the ball of emotion forming in my throat, tears touching the surface of my eyes.
Thank God they have found these words.

favorites.

[Jamee' M. Hall]

We own no one,
Our children owe nothing.......
This being my favorite part goes without saying. I love this whole piece it captures the truth in so many ways from having children, their growing apart from us, then my two favorite lines witch sum it all up. BRAVO. Charles

[V]

Big eyes watch big people with big love


that's one of those lines that makes another writer wish he had written it. I dig your site man, just wish you were more active on it. Nice work

[Christopher Tait]

Wow, this is staggeringly good stuff. You really capture a strong emotional sense and it rings out through every line of this piece. Great job!

[Lyttleton]

I completely agree with what you say here, it's just a very forceful yet peaceful statement of a truth so many people don't seem to grasp.
Well put.

[Hedra Helix]

I wont say its your best simply cus your characters are alive sometimes but its a great use of that human insight youve got. I feel like its just talking to me as a human rather than an individual yet its tapping into this sureness of thought I know ill have when I have kids.

you do rock, I can say that honestly.

[Richard Hartshorn]

In all honesty, this is probably the best of your material I've read. It captures a lot of feeling, and I feel like you really meant it this time.

I could have a long talk with you about the subject matter, but maybe I'll save that for another time.