Today's prompt is to write a poem about family. It is indeed humbling to read the remarkable poetry posted by other poets on the Writer's Digest site. For the record, here is my April 8 offering which, from the moment I posted it on the Writer's Digest site, I began revising. I think it's about done--at least until I hit the preview and publish buttons.... :)
Family: Our Very Root And Measure
By Bill Kirk
Whether
through common DNA
Or, the deep
emotional bonds between lovers,
Or parents
and their adopted children,
Or even
kinship with long-time friends;
Such are the
relationships
Which establish
the ties
That forever
link us
To others who
we regard
As permanent
extensions of ourselves.
Think on
these things for it is indeed
Hard to
imagine what possibly could be
More personal,
more lasting or transcendent
In the midst
of the frailties of mind, body and soul.
An
unexpected brief glance
Exchanged across
a crowded room;
Then, in a fleeting
moment,
A lifetime passes
and we let go the hand
Of someone
now only with us in spirit.
An infant on
life support, rending our hearts;
Yet one day
dances, steady in our arms,
While lightly
standing on our shoe-tops.
Too soon,
you are transported to another dance
As you bear
witness to your daughter—or a son perhaps—
Staking out their
own hoped for lifelong bonds.
In one home,
an only child defines family on their own terms;
While in
another, sisters and brothers hold the feelings
And secrets
of deeply personal things
Often shared
with no one else.
Each, in his
or her own way, is there with us—
and with one
another—until the end.
A child or grandchild,
often excelling
But sometimes
struggling—
Seemingly
just beyond our reach
To encourage
them to stay the course;
Or let them
know it will be all right.
Family in
all its forms gives us our highs and lows,
Testing our
strength to hold on
In the face
of the too frequent urges to simply give up—
Yet, through
it all, unexplainably,
Somehow leaving
us the richer for it.
In their ever-changing
forms and endless variety,
And whether far
or near,
Family is
life—our very root and measure!
Embrace it
each day you are given….
