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..

[Celeste21]

Hello Tate,
This was very sentimental. The love for your son pours off this page. Being strong enough to know when to let go and when to hold on is key in many parent/ child relationships.

[Kelly M.]

A powerfully heartbreaking message. You are definitely one for poems! :)

[Ice QueenJen]

This was a great writing, and shows how resilent our children are despite the pain that surrounds them. By you finding him holding your picture shows that he forgave the pain you inflicted on him. My own children have gone thru the same things, and come out unscathed. Life has gone on for them and us and hopefully they will not make the same mistakes we have!

[Through the Gateway]

It is difficult to remember how our words and actions hurt those little ones when it seems as if our exes are doing everything within their power to hurt us. Constant vigilance must be kept, but even the best of us slip.

[SageMusic]

Life is a hard task master. There is peace in knowing we all make mistakes, some worse than others and take away a better person from them.

Well crafted, as ever from the innocence of your young son to his dawning reality of life. You will always be there for him tho.

"Asleep in pain his eyes were closed
I felt my heart begin to moan"

That one really 'got' me - the last thing you want to see and yet knowing all parents of a certain age have seen it.

Peace and blessings.....

[Sherbs Dreaming Tree Of..]

A fantastic read!
i loved the music feature you incorporated to set the mood :)

[Joel M Frye]

I really liked the image of his tear being the blood of his soul, Tate, and think it was quite clear. This is a lovely, lovely write, and the gentle breaks of rhythm in the fifth and the last stanzas add to the hushed sense of sorrow for me. Well, well done, good sir. Thank you.

[Rick Puetter]

Dear Tate,

This is one of your most touching poems. Your poems always talk of life's lessons and so always pull at the heart strings, but this poem almost pulls those strings to breaking. A very heart felt piece that I truly enjoyed.

Best regards,

Rick

[Nayan]

"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"

These lines kept me dumbstruck!

And these lines, made me cry almost in reality!
"A sole tear lie upon his cheek
where I left a few of my own"

Experiences of an wise man that gets expressed in such deep feeling. It also shows the deep love and affection a father has for his child.

It was very beautiful to see the child's innocent belief being expressed in these lines...
"Knowing I would be kind and wise
from that time and ever after"

And the last para really sums up what you wrote in your author's note.
The fourth para is my pick!

A very beautiful piece of work. Thanks

[Ravyne Hawke]

such a heart-wrenching poem, Tate. Since I am not a parent, I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to balance between hurting a child by saying no, or hurting oneself by saying no. As a kid, I remember asking permission for things that potentially may have harmed me, but thankfully my parents were wise enough to say no. It hurt, left me in tears at times, but now I can see their wisdom. Sometimes though, I believe they said no out of their own selfishness when something would not have harmed me. Those are the times that hurt the most. I hope your son will understand the wisdom of his father in time and begin to trust your "no" and "yes" responses. Excellent work, as always and I am thankful that you shared this with me. Many blessings.