Poem

OrphansEstrangement is worse than being an orphan.All the missed Christmases,The empty seats,The cards in the mail,Social media stalkingMy how she ’s aged.Righteous rage is alwaysFollowed by a funereal silence.Ostracization, ex communication,Exile to the realm of the wronged. Church doors locked, Keep your hands out of the holy water.An orphan was never rejected;His parents are just dead.A blurred picture of mom in a locket,Dad ’s cologne, that last trip to Hilton Head.It ’s worse this way,The living undead absence Of your mom or your dad.Maybe you ’re just waiting For the sad news to arrive.You ’ve already written lovely eulogies That your siblings, by god, will neverLet you stand behind an altar and deliver.When it's over you can write the story,As the orphan conjures an imagined dad,A phantasmagorical motherWrapped up tidy and nice;Proud of you boy, good luck, good night.Or maybe you're just waitingFor your own inevitable fallFlat on your backNowhere to goNo one to expectExcept for them, old mom and dad---The eternal recurrence of helpless infancyAt the very last, the real thing,Familiar faces looming over youIn all their flawed smiling brilliancy.2/6/20

Source: Buckeye Surgeon - February 5, 2020 Category: Surgery Authors: Jeffrey Parks MD FACS Source Type: blogs