Family Poems

A Beacon of Warmth

A force of nature, with a heart so grand,
She walked this earth, a light in the land.
Our Auntie Dana, fierce and free,
Like the hammerhead shark she loved to see.

She navigated life's deepest, darkest seas,
Finding solace and strength on her bended knees.
In the Bible, her compass, she found her way,
Guiding her through each and everyday.

For her

Nana's Perfume

Tea bags and wet dog, crossword ink on fingertips.
Chocolate biscuit wrappers, garden pond algae.
Hairspray that held those curly grey locks in place. Regal.

Scents mixed and shaken, 
ground and stirred – a dusting of her
that wafts through air like a time 
machine, shuttling me back to a 
bowling alley, a country show digging 
up worms. A

JUST RIGHT, In Two Parts

College Before Family, 1982
My pen just writes
My dog just bites
My wife just fights
And I just might
Decide everything’s alright.

Empty Nest, 2025
Life didn’t quite yield that plight
Because the pen barely writes
The pups play fight
The kids had height
Were polite
And actually bright
The wife’s a delight
Most days and nights
My life might be trite,
And I’m good with this slight rewrite.

Dad's radio

I look back at my dad's radio
Shuffling through the channels
Cause the signal is too weak
But my dad will wait in awe

When the presenter starts off at the top of the hour 
You'd see my dad fixed in his stool
Still to get to hear the nation address
The words of hope he hopes to hear 

It's been

Blue

I never really noticed your blue;
hidden under transparent shields
screaming to be noticed... or something.

Just came across as angry or sad,
wanting to forget some bad...
but not blue, never that.

Not the kind to bind a knot;
throw their lot in with chance's whim
to test if fate says sink or swim

and lose...

A Diamond of Joy

                   Fingers
               Long, slender
      Tapping, painting, holding  
Creating tiny canvases for my niece
    

ALEXANDRIA

ALEXANDRIA 

I came late to Jesus,
Got cancer before my time,
Watched my husband die,
Found my baby drowned.

What did I do wrong?
Followed His church’s way,
Never missed a Sunday mass,
Confessed my sins religiously.

Refused to hear the call
For contraception—
That was not God’s way.
I made Him a dozen babies.

Why’d he punish me?
My faith wasn’t always strong.
Still, I never strayed,
Took communion

Hanna

HANNA

Born in a hospital
Raised with indoor plumbing,
School just up the hill.
She was a lucky one.

Dad couldn’t afford a tractor
No electricity in fifty miles
Milked cows by hand and dried the dishes
Before she can remember. Not so lucky.

She’ll never forget the day electricity came.
Can you imagine the magic—
Some nights the single bulb shined until midnight.
The sun lost

A Soldier's Prayer

I was at war,
fighting for my nation.
Blood stained the ground,
the sounds of guns and bombs
pierced our ears—
like ominous words carved in the air.

When I lifted my head,
I saw us fighting with one hand,
while others already lay lifeless.

Our families prayed,
hoped we’d return safely.
But as I looked at the sky,
time stopped for a breath.

And I whispered—
“God, even

Don't Forget the Cream

Lately folks, my mind has been somewhat dusty,
I "think" I heard of some new kind of disease.
Plus, my cognition has been somewhat rusty,
I keep forgetting where I put my keys!

I'm late!, I'm late!, for a very important date,
But...I don't remember with who or where.
I can't explain why my brain makes me wait,
I just know sometimes,

Ancestors

Born of stardust to experience duality.
Should I thank my Ancestors for providing a path to me?

They say sweet baby don't you cry.
But I don't know how to lie.
They say an empty vessel makes too much noise.
But I don’t know how to fill it with my voice.

They say look before you leap.
But I am afraid I

At the Temple’s Gate

The lightning cracked, the sky tore apart,
A jagged scream that rattled my heart.
The wind beat hard, the rain cut like knives,
Yet I felt no fear, no tremor of lives.

My clothes clung wet, my hair stuck to my face,
I wandered aimless through the storm’s embrace.
Somehow, I reached a threshold small and bare,
A temple doorway, though I

Did You Ever Have That Feeling

Why is it, when you want to go,

They ask you...can't you just stay?

And, when you want to stay,

They tell you...won't you just go?

The more I think on the subject,

The more I "Think!" I know.

Tell them, you really want to "Stay!"...

When you "Really!"...want to "Go!"

Can We Do It Together?

Can we do it together?

“Hi! How are you?” an Indian lady asked me.
After work, I left the building of my workplace.

She also worked there. Just in a different department.
This company is in Greenford. Very nice. It is in London.

“Do you have children? Do you have a family?” she asked.
“No, I haven’t”, I answered. “Can we

With A Gentle Hand, Mystic

In her eighties, she still groomed – clipping nails
Her hands, soft and warm to the touch, tender as the rose
Petals weeping as they melt the summer dew who trails
Along the glistening lights, softly playing as grace flows

In her final years, she still loved – heartfelt and true
Her eyes glittering with azure lights, healing hearts, twinkling
With

Read wonderful family poetry on the following sub-topics: addiction, beautiful, birthday, black, blended, broken, brother, christian, christmas, death, difficult, father, fathers day, funeral, funny, graduation, grandchildren, grandfather, grandmother, hard times, holiday, hope, inspiration, love, mother, mother child, mother daughter, mothers day, niece, relationship, rhyme, sibling, sister, step families, trials, values, and more.

• Short Family Poems
• Famous Family Poems
• Best Family Poems
• Read Family Poems
• Long Family Poems
• Family Quotes

Poems Related to Family

ancestors, aunt, brother, children, cousin, descendants, family life, family tree, father, genealogy, grandfather, grandmother, in laws, mother, relatives, siblings, sister, uncle