He was not my father, only then

He was not my father, only then

His balmy eyes with a spring smile were
my father, whom i smiled at when i was a baby;
his sunny cheer on the first day of
my kindergarten was the seed of love, encouragement,
that empowered me throughout my life.

My father, the only father i've had, until one day,
my playful digging in the deep unearthed a piece
of shock that rattled my soul. my volcanic heart
could not bury in the dune of past.
i thought it was the end.
i listened to: whose love weighs more,
the one who saved you from the deep river
and nurtured you, or the one who discarded you
like a wad of flesh? The answer led me back to
the only father i knew.

© Byung A. Fallgren

3 thoughts on “He was not my father, only then”

“Love the good, and forgive the bad” is what resonates with me from these lines. I’m not sure that is what you meant to convey, but touching, none-the-less, Byung.

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Thank you, Susi, for the comment. Yes, to some degree, I meant to do that. You interpreted the poem in your way, and it is perfectly okay. Depending on readers, it can be interpreted other ways, also. Isn’t that what poems are supposed to serve?

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