Jan Hansen Poet Blank verse

Father Figures

father figures

I never knew my father well as he was not at home
I think it had something to do with other women
mother divorced him and said he was a butterfly.
I could not picture him as a colourful insect in the glade
instead, I made him into a swashbuckling hero.
A new man moved into our life, and I didn’t like him
he smelled of smoked sardines, telling me what to do.
I was ten years old and decided to leave home
with two apples and a boiled egg, I left slamming
the door behind me; the evening dark and cold
My mother’s friend was sarcastic when I returned
looked at his watch two hours had gone.
In later years I wrote a series of poems about “Alfred” 
the pianist who denied he was my father and
realized how important it was for a little boy to have
a father figure when growing up.

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David Smith February 13, 2023 at 2:02 AM I like the way you handled this subject. From the heart but keeping the message simple. It is easy to make a poem like this long winded and miss the mark. Maybe even more important for a girl to have a father figure and for a boy to have a Mother figure. Best regards David in NZ