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A Little Time

A LITTLE TIME

 

Daddy, spend some time with me,

it’s all I really need.

 

It doesn’t have to be that much,

let’s go do simple things.

 

Help me remember times back when

I was a little girl,

 

when you called me your princess doll,

back when you used to twirl

 

me round and round. You’d tossed me high,

just simply having fun.

 

So, Daddy let’s ...

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fatherdaughterfamilyspending time

How Did It Get So Late So Soon? [song version]

How Did It Get So Late So Soon?

 

The man who scared the ghosts away,

The woman who healed wounds with a kiss,

I think of them more nowadays

In sad and troubled times like this.

No longer there to hug the pain

From tired bones and broken hearts,

To shield you from the winter rain

That permeates where old age starts.

 

Another day of fleeting tasks

From rising su...

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ageingseeing parents in mirrorageold ageadvicemotherfatherson

In the Embrace of the Night

In my childhood, the night was always a scary thing, 

Its silence seeped into my soul, 

Its darkness created many shadows, 

I saw ghosts mocking me. 

Its reflections crept into my closed eyes. 

It felt like there was no place to hide. 

My little self was too afraid of being caught by them. 

 

Yet, with you by my side, I felt safe. 

You became a strong fortress ag...

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fatherfamily

When That Little Boy Is in His Solitude

The little boy has cloudy eyes, yet no tears ever fall. 

The little boy often hides his voice behind a faint smile. 

 

The little boy grew into an adventurer, 

Singing along with the howling storm, 

Fighting the thunder that echoed across the sky, 

Confronting the sun that burned the horizon. 

The little boy has bones of steel. 

The little boy could be anything those...

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fatherparentsfamilyloveunconditional lovesolitude

The Cathedral

Father told me, when i was young, that his mother told him ‘if you can fit pinky to thumb around your wrist you are too thin’. When I managed to grasp my arm half way up, pinky to my thumb, I saw success. It’s hard to see sadness when you are sick. Mother taught me forgiveness was not earnt, but expected. So, when you lied to me I knew what I was to do next.

    

         The cathedral was o...

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heavenhellgodreligionmotherdadfathermomfamilyloveguiltconfusion

Father's Day

Greetings cards with wine or wellies

Gardening, golf and air guitars

Flawless lawns, beer bellies

For this is what you are

 

You’re slower, balder, fuller faced

Your jokes fall flat and stale

That bike you bought, still in its place

Another mid-life fail

 

The Lycra was more than a stretch

You ’re living in the past

Running uphill makes you retch 

And your tr...

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Fathers dayfathergenerationsfamily

Single Father

Youthful days are fleet and fast, adulthood it beckons
Maturity in years it grows, quickly in few seconds

Visualise your wings unfold and soar careers path
In dreams I see your face so small and hear mischievous laugh

Companionship vacated, in emptiness to wallow
Loneliness unfolds, bitter is the pill to swallow

Sometimes I yearn to rewind the days, erase the sorrow's tide
For you to ...

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ParentFatherlonelinesssorrowjoy

In the Hearts of Fathers and Sons

In the dance of life, a father and son,

Bound by love, yet by fate, undone.

Split by custody, their time divided,

Yet in their hearts, forever united.

 

Through fleeting moments, they find their way,

In laughter shared and games they play.

Half a life spent in separate lands,

Yet still, they walk hand in hand.

 

In the father's eyes, a world unfolds,

As he watches ...

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father

That Day In June

I sat today midst the happy smiles

of a children’s song, and for just a while

I was happy too, for what else should come

from a happy day and a happy song.

 

But, it came again just like every June,

when I feel the pain of an open wound

that on every other day I keep

hidden far from view, buried oh so deep.

 

But I guess that’s why they made the day,

so that folks ...

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parentchildfatherdeathseparation

The Ghost in My Car

The Ghost in my Car

 

 

 

I sometimes find my Dad sitting next to me in my car

Not exactly him but some likeness, a ghost from afar.

I can’t exactly see him clear

But either way it’s nice to have him near

 

I’ll tell him stuff about my life

And he nods and makes positive sounds

I can’t exactly hear him

But either way it’s nice to have him around

 

I glance...

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fatherdad

Last Walk

Lizards scatter with small stones

as he trips up the mountain road,

kalderimes are too bumpy now.

 

 

He's been here before

a thousand feet above nut town 

where crumbling churches 

send peels of God down 

to the sea. 

 

He's been here before.

 

'Are there cicadas?....  I don't hear them.'

 

 

Higher...

 

White scree falls recall…

sodden sum...

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Dementiafather

Why

Husband, father, brother, son.

Just for another day. 

Another day you'd see the sun, 

shining bright through clouds. 

Today the day was nice.

Only that you weren't there. 

Will be more such days, 

but you will never see the sky again. 

Now there is silent, suffocating heat. 

In the heart cold darkness lays.

As cold as metal shue shelf, 

which you were hanging from....

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deathsuicidefather

Thank You Dad

Thank you Dad.

Thank you for your deep deep love.

For always making me feel so special and loved.

For teaching me to pass on that love to my own children.

I could not have felt more loved.

 

Thank you Dad.

Thank you for sharing with me your love of music and poetry.

For reading to me at bedtime and encouraging my love of books.

For instilling in me the love of words and ...

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daddaughterlovefuneralrememberfatherthank you

Snow

It's cold outside, there he is.
Standing in the snow with the letter from his father.
Just found out it was his last letter from his father, regretting for that silly fight about christmasday.
Realizing that is was his last christmas.
Walking between those fast cars thinking and thinking.

What if I stop?
Is it all worth it?
Was it all worth it?
What should I do?

There he was, looking ...

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deathdeepdepressionfatherlovemotivationsnow

The hurt of remembrance

Everything reminds me of you.
Something you bought me or a scent of perfume. 
The reflection in the mirror.
A song that I sing to. 
Words that I speak and phrases I use. 
Everything just reminds me of you. 
Places I go to that we adventured together.
Movies I watch that we enjoyed with each other. 
I know that my brother and sisters hurt too,
Because everything and anyth...

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Deathgriefgrievinghurtmissing someonemotherfatherremebrance

A Regular Joe

He was not really special 

Just an ordinary guy 

I guess you’d call him

A regular 

Joe 

 

An ex-army man

He took everything in his stride

He was a positive guy

He was happy to help: He rarely said 

No

 

Throughout his life 

He took it all on the chin

When things were hard he worked his way through 

He never asked why

He was easy going: he’d go with t...

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dadfatherlife

Flowers In The Bath

Rosebay, willow-herb and common poppy

Garnish each enchanting meadow

Sweet fragrances and alluring hues

Draw rapt villagers to every window

 

Flowers can be double-edged swords

Marking endless sorrow and pain

I can recall the time my father died

The old tin bath where wreaths were lain

 

Deadly nightshade or belladonna

Lurks on limestone and dry chalk

Consume th...

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flowersbathrosebayold tin bathfathernightshadebumblebees

The Bayonet In The Shed [REPOST with audio]

I'm reposting this poem with the audio I recorded of it (as a song) to commemorate my father and the other soldiers who fought during WW2 in Asia - The Forgotten Army of Burma - for the 75th Anniversary of VJ Day

 

The Bayonet In The Shed

 

He put it there in forty nine,

in a woodworm riddled drawer,

wrapped it in a greasy rag.

A remnant from the war.

On top of it he laid h...

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fatherhorror of warmemoriesold soldierthe forgotten armyVJ DayWW2

Ye Tale Of Brave Sir Moppalot

Ye Tale Of Brave Sir Moppalot

 

I wasn’t quite there yet

So this story is told second hand

Of the bravest and noblest knight

To ever gallop over this land

 

He was sitting quietly at home

When a neighbour just down the street

Knocked on the castle door

To advise him to get on his feet

 

A princess in need of his help

Had called out his name in the night

Be...

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birthday 17family talefatherknightlegendnapowrimo2018noble

Son Of My Father

Son Of My Father

 

What did you do in the war dad?

I fought against Fascists, son.

 

And were you frightened there dad?

Did you want to turn around and run?

 

Yes, I was frightened there son

So, don’t believe the lies that are spun

 

About the death and the glory of war, boy.

There is death, but of glory there’s none.

 

Thanks for all that you did dad

A...

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anti fascistfathergood advicesoldierssonthankswar

N/A

never had a dad had to grow up fast, couldnt get over it so i live in the past

lonely and troubled i felt all alone, with little happiness, depression was shown

i fell into violence, drugs were upcoming, nothing felt better than the way that they were numbing

into trouble is what i always got, in and out of facilities, the recovery i fought

four years and my memory is grey, im always j...

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parentsfatheraddictionrecoverysicknesssad

House On The Edge of Town

More and more
my thoughts turn to you
so aware of time
I’m the age now
that you were
when the pair of you parted
you got that rented house
on the edge of town

We’d stay at weekends
watching winter’s tide sweep in
standing in the falling snow
the garden and the fields disappearing
said ‘throw another log on the fire’
said ‘dad, your house is cold’

At fifteen, I was nothing
lost i...

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breaking up the familyfamilyfamily poemfatherselfishsontalkteenage

Father

You ask if I believe in God...
How can I not?

To deny my Father
means I leave my existence
to some 30 year old predator
who impregnated a girl half his age
and left her to raise their child
in the wilderness, among wolves 
that feed on loneliness and despair.

Without my Father, I would never know
that after suffering comes deliverance,
pain leads to compassion,
forgiveness breaks b...

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affectionbabybirthchildrendeliverancedespairdesperationfaith familyfatherforgivenesshopelonelinessnatureprayerrelationships spiritualityreligion

Mother

You neglected me, 

didn’t protect me, 

abandoned me,

chose an abusive man 

over your children... 

I forgive you. 

I give you the

unconditional affection

never afforded me,

because I love you 

despite everything 

and I don’t want 

the past having 

power over me.

 

https://youtu.be/KtNYA4pAGjI

 

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abusechildhoodfatherforgivenessmotherrelationshipsunconditional love

Dear Ezra Bebot,

The first time I saw you, your mouth held no words.
I would take you out and watch you marvel at the birds.

Your awkward waddle would bring me smiles.
There was peace in my life holding you as we walked for miles.

The screaming, the crying, the testing,
The laughing, the hugging, the learning.

As I helped you grow, and loved every moment.
Even the ones that involved your excrement.

...

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Step sonstep-sonchildfatherfather's lovebreakupheartachebroken heartdepressionlosslovingend of relationshipseparation

A Note to Those With Limits to Their Love

I was not there when he was made
I was not there when he was born
I was not there for his first birthday

I was, there to guide his first steps.

I was there when his mother voiced her disdane and pushed him away.

For the tantrums that felt eternal

The sick days that became my sick days

I was there as his father began a new family and forgot about his last.

When he had no food to...

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step-parentstep parentsonfatherfrustrationlovecarecompassioncompassionatelovingself-sacrificing

My father's gift

I remember hearing my father's voice

      from beyond the grave.

      No dream—a single, scratchy vinyl

      had captured his characteristic

      lilting, homiletic style,

      that seemed,

       in and of itself,

       to be the message—

       no surprises there,

       nor flights,

       yet a resonance

       that touched

       and stays with me

...

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deathfathersonvoicevinyloldgrief

My

I see the opening of your mind's eye, 

glittering like a starry sky. 

Asking yourself, how high? 

The iron will that says, I try. 

Go my darling, you'll fly. 

Full of joy, I cry. 

The apple of your father's  eye.

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fatherparenthoodchilddaughterlove

Father

i guess i will never understand. what it’s like to be a father. and what it’s like to completely neglect your daughter.

she’s cried bloody tears for you. she has begged and humiliated herself for your attention, love, and compassion. but you don’t get it. it doesn’t affect you. you live in a different city. you have a family of your own now. you never learned to balance your first {love} born w...

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father

Family Tree

I'm afraid to have kids
What if they get my depression
Or addiction
Or fucking alcoholism?
What am I supposed to say to them?

"Sorry kiddo,
Suck it up.
You'll soon find out,
Life just fucking sucks"

It's just not fair
To pass on an ongoing burden
To watch my kid suffer
Knowing that I can't relieve them

They're supposed to be protected
But I can't save them from themself
It jus...

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Familytreefatheroffspringaddictiondepression

Life by Numbers

Life by Numbers

 

1. My father walks the sea-edge and is young, as a child is young.

2. My father's voice is hardwood, and timpan drums.

7. My father's eyes are tired.

16. The cyclone clouds hang swollen sheets above.

19. I am afraid.

20. I shall put fear at the bottom of depths the deep blue made.

25. My brothers' arms surround me.

31. We sit on the brim of laught...

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fatherseatiredcyclonefearbrothersEcclesiastesGerontionunstoppable

As Winter looms

They tell you to try with all of your might,

But it's the things that you least expect stealing your sleep at night.

As we descend into the darkness of winter, my mind is lit up with thoughts on 5th November,

I look back, I remember you, I remember

.

Walking to Oxford Street all alone,

the people that pass by, they all seem like clones.

It's not long until they have somewhere ...

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poetryfemalepoetxmasfatherdadwinter

love.

have you ever experienced
a love 
so strong 
you question your beliefs?

I'm an atheist.
I don't believe in a god
or an afterlife 
but
this love 
makes me wonder 
if over the course of time
our souls 
have been colliding 
and bonding 
and that's why
everything 
is so natural 
between us

I'm not talking about something romantic
but something innocent
for he has touched my hea...

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familyquestioninglovefatheruniversehope

Words

words

            no man should know

            or say

words

            no child should hear:

            parent, pray

            to be spared.

as he sat with his sons at home

and struggled to find

words:

he knew

            she will never return to us

he knew

            she is too ill

 

In a time when she was strong

for them

as her body weake...

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illnesscancerdyingdeathparentingfathersonsmotherwordscompassion

am i selfish?

Note: there is some strong language in this. it's not too bad. it's not too excessive, either. one word in here twice, i think. and if you're wondering, yes, the colors mean something. and yes, im genuinely asking a question to you, the reader. and to the person this is about. but i pray he never reads or finds this. anyway, enjoy.

 

Am I selfish for wanting another hug? 

I handed you the...

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bad friendsbad poetrycolorsdepressiondoubtfatherhigh schoolhopeinsecuritieslovemotherneednightmaresplatonic lovesadschoolsuicidesuicide note?supportteacherwant

will blue turn into purple?

You were wearing purple today. Purple is going to be ×××'s color now. But blue has always been mine. That's how I knew I was ready to give you that letter. You were wearing my color...

Your eyes were a brighter blue today. After you came in from having a cigarette, you walked past me, then paused. Coffee and tobacco smoke. That's what you smelled like. That's my smell now.

"Just under a minu...

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adoptionBad poetrybluefatherhigh schoolhopei need youloveneedplatonic lovepurpleschoolteacherwantweird

The Father's Curse

 

The Father’s Curse

 

I am not  the man you used to be

 

the acorn falling softly

in the shade of your tree

raising ungrateful sons

to their own prosperity

fighting a war

so that others could be free

the nurturing of potential

that you swore you couldn’t see

expected to take root

and share your ancient symmetry

being a loving father

when it wasn’t m...

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ungratefulsonfatherfootstepsown pathdestiny

Soldier's Box

Soldier’s Box

 

Wooden box

Lock

Key

 

Brass bullet casing

Spent

Flakes of tobacco

Unsmoked

 

Grains of sand

Sepia tinted photograph

Pyramids

And pith helmets

 

Soldiers Service

And Pay book

Will unwritten

Will not needed

 

Nib encrusted

Fountain pen

Brass button

Coloured ribbon

 

Yellowed letters

Ink a faded blue

S...

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boxfatherlockedmementoswar

He left

He left 

He left behind his broken wife and his scared son

He left

He left us cold, all alone with no one 

He left

 

The vows, they meant nothing 

The promises, broken 

I just wish we meant something 

More than just empty words spoken 

 

I cried for days at a time 

My young son wiped every tear 

Leaving us was a crime 

And now, it's been 1 year 

 

An...

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familybrokenheartachepainlovesadnessmemoriesmarriageaffairbetrayaldepressionlonlinessfearchangesonmotherfatherunconditional love

Waiting on flowers

I am waiting for the day that you will show up at my door

With a flower for every birthday you missed.

Twenty-one flowers of vibrant colors—

Turquoise, violet, “tickled pink”—

They will spread their pedals in the warm spotlight

That will touch every inch of my cold, pale skin.

The features of my face will be illuminated.

I will no longer be the infant you left—

The life tha...

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fatherabandonedflowersStageperformance

Blue Smoke Ghost

Blue Smoke Ghost

 

A matchbox scratch

A flare of light

The smell of sulphur

 

A yellow patch

Above his chair

On the ceiling

 

A row of pipes

Hung in a rack

Saliva drips

 

The suck

And suck

And suck on shank

 

Red glow

In the dusk

On a back step

 

The aroma

Of spices

In the ready-rub

 

Scratching

Grey ash

From the c...

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fatherkillerpipe smokingsimple pleasuresmoketobacco

The man who would never surrender

Look over there,

Sat in that comfy reclining chair,

Is a man so wise and strong,

With so much knowledge which was seldom wrong.

The way his eyes would sparkle when he laughed,

And his cheesy smile on all his photographs.

 

His daytime nap making a little snore,

Is he really asleep? I think as I open the door.

He was such a good old joker,

Yet kept a face as straight a...

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husbandmemoriesfathergriefcomfort

Father.

This make-believe story I predicted in my head,

To pieces upon the ground does it fall.

A happiness once experienced -

A security long gone,

And a father I had imagined -

Now a memory in which I had created.

 

But, the hurt inside is real -

All torn up, how does my heart continue to beat?

A trauma of the past -

Why must I remember what I wish not to?

 

I created...

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Fatherdeathcancerlossalcoholicabusive

The Bayonet In The Shed

The Bayonet In The Shed

 

He put it there in forty nine,

in a woodworm riddled drawer,

wrapped it in a greasy rag.

A remnant from the war.

On top of it he laid his medals,

nothing more was said

until the day my father

took the bayonet from the shed.

 

We had pestered many times

and he had said ‘perhaps’

when we asked him if he’d killed

any Krauts or any Ja...

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bayonetfatherherokillingmedalsold soldierwarww2. burma

FATHER AND SON

I touch your cheek,

I'm surprised, it's cold.

I reach for your hand

for I need it to hold.

 

I look upon your face

that beamed and sparkled

as we loved and laughed,

wrestled and tickled.

 

Your face is so pallid,

the sparkle is gone,

no more to smile

at the hot summer sun.

 

Your hair neatly tended,

you lie there so still

as I try, with memories,

...

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FATHERSONDEATHKISSGOODBYELOVELIFElaughter

DAD

There was a man I knew,

not too close, not too far,

as a child he was there

to tend to my scars.

 

A man with a past,

of that I had no doubt,

a man, when provoked,

who knew how to shout.

 

A happy man

with a smile for all,

he'd always be there to

pick me up when I'd fall.

 

And though never far away,

we were never very close,

a sign of those times

...

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cancerdadfatherdeathlossloveregretslooking backcelebrationfamilysonpride

Dexteram Patris

Dexteram Patris

Uncomfortable
seeing him that way,
and she,
ever supportive,
gently touching
his arm
for reassurance

but there is a failing,
something not the same,
although in looks
we are so similar.

The Prodigal returns
and sees his father,
straight of back
and stern of countenance,
falling to pieces.

The once proud frame -
busted

and she,
as beautiful as always,
...

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prodigal sondeclining healthdementiafatherfavourite chairrichpixright hand of the father

*Violence To Ones Own*

October-7-1997
Trisha M. Hopkins

{I}
Waiting for him, sitting in the car
Under the erie moonlight
Imagening what he'll do 
Seing him in the distance, Seeing him in the night
His mind shouting "I'm going to get you!"

{II}
He sees himself going after the man
He sees himself dragging him, dragging, dragging
Tying the man up
Everything is so dim
Under the erie moonlight

{III}
Torc...

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moonviolencedaughterfatherother

Dad and My Car

I sometimes find my Dad sitting next to me in my car

Not exactly him but some likeness, a vision from afar.

I can’t exactly see him clear

But either way it’s nice to have him near.

 

I sometimes find myself talking to my Dad,

Sitting next to me, in my car

It’s good to talk after all these years and I suppose he’s not really there

But it feels so good, so I don’t really care...

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Dadlifefather

Blood thief

There’s a floor called race and a home called blood,

it can be what forms you.

It can be what clothes you, what warms you as it flows through your body,

a rich honey providing brotherhood, relation, family and love -

bonds of pride which cartwheel through your body.

I have a mystery and in my father lies the clues.

I had droplets of speciality, uniqueness, distinction, excitement...

Read and leave comments (1)

bloodrelativethiefliesfamilycultureGreecebelongingrealconfusionfather

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