"One Man’s Castle"
By Joseph Ridgway
Finally —
home from Hades,
collapsed at the kitchen counter,
a beer can raised to my face,
cover against the severe scowl
of my youngest daughter
who was frantically fishing the garbage bin,
searching for my discarded plastic carrier,
savagely slicing each roundel in half,
returning its castrated remains to the trash.
That crap kills innocent animals, you know!
After offering our dog an exaggerated greeting,
I attempted a humble escape.
You can’t speak to mom like that.
Like what? I snapped? Like that!
My eldest daughter’s eyes slowly ascended,
seemingly searching for the source of my stupidity.
In the meanwhile, my
heroin enchained middle daughter
chronicled all
I yearned to hear,
regardless of its falsity.
But it felt like freedom —
tasted so sweet —
in those dark and sour hours.
My only son soon joined me —
Both of us relieved to agree upon
the significance of sports,
the import of empathy,
the temerity of Trump, and
our mutual forbearance of the other’s foibles.
Good fortune over fame, my
wondrous wife of a million miles,
my fierce and contrasting offspring — they are
my ramparts and parapets against the arrows of the night.
home from Hades,
collapsed at the kitchen counter,
a beer can raised to my face,
cover against the severe scowl
of my youngest daughter
who was frantically fishing the garbage bin,
searching for my discarded plastic carrier,
savagely slicing each roundel in half,
returning its castrated remains to the trash.
That crap kills innocent animals, you know!
After offering our dog an exaggerated greeting,
I attempted a humble escape.
You can’t speak to mom like that.
Like what? I snapped? Like that!
My eldest daughter’s eyes slowly ascended,
seemingly searching for the source of my stupidity.
In the meanwhile, my
heroin enchained middle daughter
chronicled all
I yearned to hear,
regardless of its falsity.
But it felt like freedom —
tasted so sweet —
in those dark and sour hours.
My only son soon joined me —
Both of us relieved to agree upon
the significance of sports,
the import of empathy,
the temerity of Trump, and
our mutual forbearance of the other’s foibles.
Good fortune over fame, my
wondrous wife of a million miles,
my fierce and contrasting offspring — they are
my ramparts and parapets against the arrows of the night.
Author’s Note:
Although I suspect that most of us look at the end of our calendar year (December) as a division line in our lives regarding a review of the past and the start of a new year, as the father of four, I always looked at the end of the school year (August) as a time to reflect, with September as a new start. This month’s writing choice, “One Man’s Castle,” was written in this fashion.
Those of you who know me are well-aware one of my daughters has been a heroin addict for years and some of my past writing reflects that fact. My wife and I are not special in any way and deserve no exemption from life’s challenges. This month’s poem briefly mentions the existence of this hurdle; but for those who want to know more, I refer you to the following site which includes our harrowing experience and horrific pain in living such a nightmare:
Courier Post - COMMENTARY: ‘Tough love’ is a painful choice
“One Man’s Castle” was initially published in the January 2021 edition of cc&d magazine, titled “You Won’t See Me,” vol.305.
Although I suspect that most of us look at the end of our calendar year (December) as a division line in our lives regarding a review of the past and the start of a new year, as the father of four, I always looked at the end of the school year (August) as a time to reflect, with September as a new start. This month’s writing choice, “One Man’s Castle,” was written in this fashion.
Those of you who know me are well-aware one of my daughters has been a heroin addict for years and some of my past writing reflects that fact. My wife and I are not special in any way and deserve no exemption from life’s challenges. This month’s poem briefly mentions the existence of this hurdle; but for those who want to know more, I refer you to the following site which includes our harrowing experience and horrific pain in living such a nightmare:
Courier Post - COMMENTARY: ‘Tough love’ is a painful choice
“One Man’s Castle” was initially published in the January 2021 edition of cc&d magazine, titled “You Won’t See Me,” vol.305.