Family Poems
The Duel
by Eugene Field
The gingham dog and the calico cat
Side by side on the table sat;
'T was half-past twelve, and (what do you think!)
Nor one nor t' other had slept a wink!
The old Dutch clock and the Chinese plate
Appeared to know as sure as fate
There was going to be a terrible spat.
(I wasn't there; I simply state
What was told to me by the Chinese plate!)
......
The Son
by Clifford Dyment
I found the letter in a cardboard box,
Unfamous history. I read the words.
The ink was frail and brown, the paper dry
After so many years of being kept.
The letter was a soldier's, from the front—
Conveyed his love and disappointed hope
Of getting leave. It's cancelled now, he wrote.
My luck is at the bottom of the sea.
Outside the sun was hot; the world looked bright;
......
Blood is thicker than water
by Nad Sof
Someone wise once said, "Blood is thicker than water."
That even when the world turns against you,
the ones who gave you life will always stand by your side.
I never understood those words—
not until recently,
when I heard my mother crying in her room,
hoping I wouldn't witness the tears that fell endlessly each night.
For years, they wished I could see the sacrifices they made,
but that night, I did.
She wept, and I pretended it didn't break me.
......
Grandpa S.
by Frangipani Rhett
They brought home a little gift for me
Something they found in your drawer
A little wallet with your license and a photo of me
From way back in 2015
Dad and mom stayed in the room you slept in
But I know you never really felt at home
I wished you lived right by us too
But I know it would have been hard for us both
......
Lullaby
by Leslie Marmon Silko
The earth is your mother,
she holds you.
The sky is your father,
he protects you.
Sleep,
sleep.
Rainbow is your sister,
she loves you.
The winds are your brothers,
they sing to you.
......
Relationships
by Gaia Ku
Deafening silence,
Heart heavy,
Pillow soaked.
Not understanding,
Not understood.
Bewildered.
The same actors,
The same tired script.
......
No Faith In Freedom
by Frangipani Rhett
My house is just that
A place for sleeping and belonging
But I don't want to go into it
Because of my issues from my trauma
My social media is for connections
But I'm terrified of the prison
Of my family's hate
and their relentless criticism
......
Man Of My Word
by Frangipani Rhett
I'm a man of my word today
Because you never believed me when I told you why I was crying
I'm a man of my word today
I was a child then and somehow I was always your enemy
I'm a man of my word today
Because you told me you'd reject me
If I put myself first before my parent's priorities
......
Grandpa S.
by Frangipani Rhett
They brought home a little gift for me
Something they found in your drawer
A little wallet with your license and a photo of me
From way back in 2015
Dad and mom stayed in the room you slept in
But I know you never really felt at home
I wished you lived right by us too
But I know it would have been hard for us both
......
Blood is thicker than water
by Nad Sof
Someone wise once said, "Blood is thicker than water."
That even when the world turns against you,
the ones who gave you life will always stand by your side.
I never understood those words—
not until recently,
when I heard my mother crying in her room,
hoping I wouldn't witness the tears that fell endlessly each night.
For years, they wished I could see the sacrifices they made,
but that night, I did.
She wept, and I pretended it didn't break me.
......
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Slava P, aka Maximus Decimus Meridius (3 poems about Family)
October 31st, 1970 - Kyiv, Ukraine and since 1992 - New Jersey, USA -
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