The Man Who… dVerse Poetics – Character Study

IMG_1480

The man who took me on
as part of the deal
The man who never once
made me feel –

in the way,
unwanted, not cared for

The man who carved lanterns
for Halloween fun
The man who made theatres
and allowed me to run –

matters off-stage,
free reign, made miniature

The man who was there, quiet
in my background
The man who loved me
as if he had found –

my small heart
and held it, so gently

A man who I love
admire and respect
A man who I hope
will only reflect –

that he fashioned a good life
for a daughter, pre-made

From the bottom of my heart
For the man who…


Today over on dVerse, our guest host Walter Wojtanik asks us to write about the character or characters who have influenced our lives – the good, the bad, and maybe the ugly. Whoever and however they may be, he invites us to write about them. Why not pop over and see what Walter has to say, and take part?

I first posted the poem above back in November 2013, and I am unashamedly recycling it, because this particular man, my step-dad, has been a rock for our entire family, never making me, his only step-child, feel anything other than his. He never treated me differently to my brother and sister, has never done anything other than be my parent, and a wonderful one at that. When I wrote this poem, I was 5 months down the line from losing my dad. it was a horrible, horrible time. Little did I know that whilst all that was going on, my step-dad was going through some really tough health problems, which were very hard for my mum as well. She and he have pulled through it – they are a strong and tough act. I admire them both greatly, love them dearly and count myself lucky to have them both in my life.

By the way, the photo above is a small part of my parents’ garden… 🙂

Back Story – Magpie Tales

tom chambers

Daughter dear, you can run, but you can’t hide. You may have killed me, you may have inflicted the ultimate revenge on me for my so-called cold, cold heart.

But you know nothing of my life. You have no idea that I fought tooth and nail to keep you, that I escaped from the unwed mothers’ home that I was sent to. I knew that I would never be able to keep you, so I ran. I ran, taking you with me, changed my name  and started our lives anew.

You ungrateful child. I built my fortune on hard work, and hard work alone. I created a legacy for you. And then I heard you complaining to your scientist friends about me. And then I realised that you hated me, that you would stop at nothing to break free.

So, go ahead child. Break free. See how you survive with no home, no liberty, no mother to care for you.

I trusted nobody. But I forgot not to trust you.

————

Image by Tom Chambers

Here’s my latest entry into Magpie Tales. There is a theme running through my weekly writings once again. If you want to know more about the mother-daughter relationship please read my Five Sentence Fiction  and Three Word Wednesday entries.

Sugar Coated – 3 Word Wednesday

PoisonSub

You were always a cold mother. Even as a tiny tot, parading up and down in the lounge, wearing toddler-sized heels and more than enough make-up for a grown woman, let alone a little girl like me, I knew that your heart was barren. I could never please you. There was always that crease between your eyebrows. Disappointment seeped out of your pores.

You wanted a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Barbie doll of a daughter. You wanted me to transform into a perfectly-proportioned teenager, into Homecoming Queen, into the girl that every boy wanted, and the girl that every other girl wanted to be. Instead, you got me, the short, stocky, brunette, grey-eyed, spectacle-wearing geek. The only thing I got intense about was chemistry. Make-up, nails and short skirts were not in my repertoire. I was not a daughter to be proud of, in your eyes.

Oh, you may well worry. You may well tell your friends that I’ll be an old maid, childless and your lip may curl when you spit out the words ‘chemist’. But you’re worrying about the wrong things, mother. Who brings you your morning coffee? Who brings her work home? Who is forgetful enough to pour poison into your special mug, instead of sugar?

Yes, you created a monster. But not the sort that you expected.

Sleep well, Mother dear.

——

I decided to take part in something new! The lovely Angela at VisDare is taking a well-deserved break for October, to concentrate on her exciting writing project, and the rest of life in general. So, welcome one, welcome all, to Three Word Wednesday! I know it’s Sunday, but thankfully, we don’t have to contribute on a Wednesday, since I only blog at weekends, these days.

This week, the words are:

Barren

Intense

Worry

What a cheerful combination! I decided to link it up to my Five Sentence Fiction post, which you can read here. Let me know what you think of my response, and do pop over to the blog to see how others have responded!