fathers await their sons

fathers await their sons
and sons await their fathers.
who is it they hope shows up?
someone honorable
someone loving
smart and athletic
is good
courageous perhaps
respectful
loyal

fathers and sons
adoring each other
in a love unrivalled
fathers also crush their sons
they lie and spit
and scratch their asses in public
they talk a great game
and sometimes live it
but often not

they await each other
father and son
in utero
at the threshold
in the schoolyard
from the battlefields
in their hearts

some times they harden
as they must
they accept limitations
they break
like porcelain
leaving sharp edges
and tiny shards

they break like chains
of bondage
they break like bone
first the blood vessels constrict
then the cells die
then if fortunate
they bridge the fracture gap
and find one another
right inside themselves
hoping to remodel
in love
not rage
accepting
toiling
bonding
terrified of their needs

admiring
seeking a relationship
and guidance
poor telemachus
a man among men

brtaub

© 05/07