This week I am thinking a lot about forgiveness. For me forgiveness is kind of a selfish thing. It does free oneself from the weight that holds us down. It seems life changing to let go of the hate and anger of being abandoned by my own father. Never even to meet him. But years later I realized that he may not be the monster I thought of through my childhood. What was his life like. What weight did he bear through his childhood. I will never know these questions. But I am here and alive. And time has afforded me the opportunity to be the father I never had to my children and the grandfather to my grandchildren that my children never had.

Father To Father

06/18/18

I’m sorry that I made you sad

I really wasn’t much of a dad

I’m sorry that I couldn’t stay

Although, I’m happy that you found your way

I wouldnt have been much of a role model, you know

But I had a hard row to hoe

Life for me was so bittersweet

Hope someday in heaven we can meet

I know we never met face to face

But addiction is an all-consuming race

Family and friends are the first to go

Life was over before I could regain control

If I could reach out and give you some advice

Second thoughts and regrets will not suffice

Parent from the voice within your soul

You know, with your babies, you too will grow

And when it’s their time and they fly away

They may stumble but they too will find their way

Flying in the middle is a lesson we all have to learn

Or find peace in the ocean or in the sun we burn.

Thomas Michael Pico

Icarus Wave Publishing ©