Prom and Circumstance
The camera caught us blurry. But what is clear
to me is the noxious taste of wine mixed with
gall, that drink mockingly offered fathers
as we choose to die so that our sons might live.
I refused, as I have hopefully faithfully tried to do,
opting instead to smile in the moment, to endure
the sour pang of time’s passing for the greater joy of
that still yet to fully be – the son a man, and possibly
someday a gladly dying father as well.
You’ve done well pilgrim, this path to paradise tastes bittersweet at times, for me anyway. Great picture.
Love the title and sentiment.
Watching a son father is a gift, John. Truly. And the dying we all do as they grow up, like other kinds of dying, leads to rich, new life. Enjoy this bittersweet time, my friend.