One Father to Another

Behind those eyes then rose a tear the first blood I had ever drew From the depths of his tiny soul where innocence bid me adieu

Son Tate

Each day my son with thoughtful eyes

looked up to me through his laughter

Knowing I would be kind and wise

from that time and ever after

 

 

Once bitten from pain of divorce

I had shed teardrops of my own

From depths my boy had drug me back

he had never left me alone

 

 

Then came the moment I had feared

when my temper did hurt my son

Deep like the pain from my divorce

left me to ask, "what have I done"

 

 

Behind those eyes there rose a tear

the first blood I had ever drew

From the depths of his tiny soul

where innocence bid me adieu

 

 

Fearing grief would hinder his sleep

and not knowing what I should say

I looked to find him in slumber

there beside our picture he lay

 

 

Asleep in pain his eyes had closed

I felt my heart begin to moan

A sole tear lie upon his cheek

where I left a few of my own

So now whenever I am asked

to bless him with my permission

I think on what I lost that day

when I forced on him submission

Author's Note

Whenever my son asks for my permission I always ask myself now, who will it hurt if I say yes? If the answer is only myself I always say yes. A lesson I learned the hard way. It seems I learn best that way. I should say the reference in this poem to blood being spilled was metaphoric, not literal. In this case I had just lost quite a bit in the divorce and was distraught. Little Tate just wanted my attention. When he started nagging me I turned on him and launched a tirade his way. The look on his face as a tear arose from his soul was heart wrenching. Having never seen me so upset he was devastated. The barb launched his way rebounded off his innocence to strike me dead center in my own heart. I had broken both our hearts. If ever an experience wrung the very water from my soul, this was it!

Reviews

[AprilRN1210]

This is such a tender, yet profound piece... I FEEL each word.. I feel each tear.. I feel the anguish.. oh my goodness.. I literally have chills right now.. I feel the depth at which you love this precious blessing.. It is pure, it is unconditional, and it is real.. This is my absolute favorite piece I have had the pleasure of reading on this site... You are truly talented, my friend... AMAZING!!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Now see many would say this was the hardest thing to write and admit But i beg to differ While I cannot read it without shedding a tear And cannot read it aloud writing it was easy it simply poured on the page

[AprilRN1210]

well, it poured brilliantly.. Thank you for sharing this with me.. I absolutely love it.. LOVE it.. not only do you have a wonderful talent, it seems you have a beautiful soul.. :)

[Tate Morgan]

I love my children But Tate holds a special place in my heart he and he alone went through my divorce with me and he alone saved my soul

[AprilRN1210]

I can feel that love shine through every tear soaked word sir and it touched me deeply.. I know you speak the truth.. You are blessed to have one another.. and I am blessed to have been able to read this breathtaking expression of that love..

[Barbz]

A lifetime of loss and regret abated by a fathers Love, tenderness and consideration. The wounded amongst us, equipping our innocents with battle gear, changes who they are. I experienced this with my grandson, Tage. I insisted we come to our senses......Barbz

[Tate Morgan]

Hi Barbz I too have seen something similar with my granddaughter and so shared this with her family as well Thank You

[Tate Morgan]

A smart man learns from his mistakes while a wise man will learn from yours

[Barbz]

So true, Tate....I was so naive when I moved from New York City to Palos Verdes Estates, Calif, with 5 small children ( had 5 in 6 years).....they were all in the same school and I had to fill out packets of material for each. Fathers Name and Address...Mothers name and address....."ridiculous" I said....I thought, what a waste of paper and time!! My husband, 14 years older said, laughingly, Barb.....it's about Divorce........Believe me when I tell you...I had Never known anyone divorced......true story.....Today, however, I can tell you some tall stories. I am now widowed after better than 45 years...Barbara

[Tate Morgan]

THANK YOU BARBZ

[Jennie Baron]

I'm awestruck and moved by the raw emotion and hurt in this poem. It rings so true! Children are resilient, but I do admit similar events from my childhood still stay with me.

[Tate Morgan]

Jennie though most of my poems start as an idea that gels into a poem that takes me a day or two to write and another day or two to correct and find the rhyme.Such wasnt the case here as this wrote itself in 10 minutes and has not undergone any revision as it was simply transcribing my emotions in raw for to the event. I am deeply humbled by this event and response to it thank you.

[Jennie Baron]

You're very welcome. I'm glad you shared this one.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you I share my thoughts in raw form set to music and rhyme and rarely tapper them or change any facts Ugly or beautiful as they are

[C. Lee Battaglia]

This is a wonderful poem... You are truly gifted... This poem is strong in emotion. I really felt what you had gone threw. I look forward into buying your book.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you very much That is nice to hear

[Matching Socks]

Incredibly moving Tate...
We learn some tough lessons in life but we never want to hurt our children.
They get caught in the crossfire sometimes.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I am not real happy with what I caused that night gladly it is all past now and he and I are ever so close But I will never forget this night.

[Geo Lawrence]

wow, so so so sad...rich words...lovely picture painted with high quality words

[Tate Morgan]

thank you for that It is not a thing I am proud of

[Geo Lawrence]

i understand your pain....the bad side divorce. you are welcome

[Tate Morgan]

thanks very much

[People Are Amazing]

Stunning. This is so powerful.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you it was with great regret I learned this lesson thank you

[Einstein Noodle]

a father of 4 myself .. this breaks my heart .. rips those wounds wide again .. its good to remember .. its good to gain wisdom .. we can be so stupid thinking our anger can in any way accomplish anything good .. to teach, admonish, implore our children to heed our wisdom .. don't do the things we know are not healthy .. i spoke so many times in anger and exasperation failing to stop and think .. to first hold them and say a prayer .. when i did do that .. it never failed to put things in a right perspective .. i am amazed to this day how i failed so many times to do that .. needless to say your poem (as they always do) has moved me deeply .. reminded me of whats important .. in a solidly constructed poem :)
E.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Einstein this poem is to this day on the simplest yet most moving to me It is hard to read it without shedding a tear over my failure in this instance. With my own son it seems every time i think he is outta line I find in the end he was raised fine i was the one out of line.

[Einstein Noodle]

yep .. true that bother! :}

[timthy]

In tears Tate! Your writing and the mood you create with the music...phenomenal...your heart and soul is evident in everything you write...absolutely brilliant!!

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you this one i cannot read myself without tearing up It simply is too powerful on my emotions

[RubyOmma]

He is beautiful. The writing is too. Pictures in my mind. Awesome expression, I loved it.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Ruby I am touched you liked it I took him to school yesterday. I swear i though my heart was going to break again as i left him there.I couldnt sleep last night after feeling so lost. I woke this morning to find I had fallen asleep in his bed. I swear being a parent is a hard job but the one i am best at.

[MomzillaNC]

That's the nature of parenthood, the struggle of every decision. When is it too far? When is it too much? Is it ever justified.

The one thing I carried from my childhood is to NEVER respond in anger. Every beating was born of rage. But, I know my child must be taught, must be disciplined. Every time I must tell him "no" or punish him, especially if it's that rare paddling, is filled with doubt and self-castigation. I've been told by complete strangers that I'm spoiling him. But I feel such a harridan when I must discipline him.

And, then, as in your poem, there are those times when I'm too harsh with him because of my own momentary issues. I've never hit him at those times; that's just too crippling an idea for me. But, I do yell at him to much, venting my frustration on his head. The confusion and hurt in his eyes -- he always recognizes the injustice of it -- accuses and convicts. It's so hard to stop being a stressed, tired, injured adult and to just be his parent in that moment. Your poem captures that struggle, that failure, and the guilt and self-loathing born of that moment when we fail.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you while the story here of drawing blood was only in my mind i never struck my child but the tirade i threw his way broke both our hearts and taught me the limits of my humanity

[MomzillaNC]

Children are perhaps the best teachers of what humanity is and should mean.

With my own son, I've found he quickly recovered and forgot those 2 or 3 swats on his bottom. But those tirades that were more about my own stuff would stick with him, seemed to really hurt. I think perhaps, because he knew it wasn't about him. Children have such rigid sense of injustice. Sadly, as we become adults, we learn to soften the edges, to look at injustice through foggy lenses. It takes harsher and more horrifying injustices to capture our attention, to arrest our complacency.

[Tate Morgan]

agreed i suppose