For a Fatherless Son

All the way to the hospital I felt your eagerness for life, Your Impatience between contractions For the show to go on, Months in the preparation This was your debut, A final push The curtains opened, And there in the spot light A star was born, Encore, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world! I boasted to a fervent audience Took praise for the choreography (Though the moves were yours alone.) You did not notice in the theater The one empty seat That I could not fill, The void that would grow As your needs grew, Ignorant of the absence you saw Past that darkness to my beaming face. learning your new steps my praise was enough but I would repeat it to fill the space, Now my leading man the space is harder to hide, that utter lack of attention, That first Christmas play And that damned empty seat not reserved but rejected ! you played the part of yourself my wise man You did not seem to mind. And every mile stone you pass You look to me, Your first words Your first grazed knee Your second performance In the theater, (just a small routine) but there besides me that damned lack looming like dark shadow over a full moon, he should have been there then to see your comeback, your perfect production As I held you with the strength of two. Inquisitive now You question me About the missing piece in your jigsaw puzzled by the great blank the incompleteness of the picture, If I could put it together for you, if I had the answers, If I could tell you why, I am all I can offer And I am sorry for that, I am sorry for these two hands That should be four I am sorry I can not tell you more, I am sorry for the empty seat That grows more obvious That I can't remove or replace, But I promise you this There will be Only one vacant space, I will love you, utterly, Unconditionally, Wholeheartedly, I will love you And at every performance All the roles You chose to play in life I will be there Proud, applauding twice.