Family Man

He closes out one more day And writes down the tally mark He puts all the toys away And locks them all in against dark Here is a family man Deep in the throes of life The requiem of comfort Avails in battle and wife When darkness pours down at noon When winter brings discontent When time is marked by coffee spoons You may wonder where pleasure went Here is a family man Far into his orderly mess Good tidings of great joy The buffet of loneliness He sharpens the Thanksgiving knife And leads the chant of grateful words Sets the table, his altar of life For a scapegoat or a scavenging bird Here is a family man Straight into his target of goods Immediate in each plan And tragically faithful but good