Legacy
A time comes when one begins
To wonder
Which of your things
Your kids will someday want.
Should I keep this
For the kids
Someday
Or pitch it?
Sometimes they tell you.
“Dad, don’t sell that painting,I want it.”
Or “I’ll never want that rocker,
You can pitch it.”
I did not know how often
The question crossed my mind,
Until my daughter was gone.
And the question,
When it came,
Had an answer.
14 thoughts on "Legacy"
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Chilling and beautiful. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you – I wish I could write good, upbeat poems, but my heart is not there at the moment. The upbeat ones tend not to be very good.
Wayne…
Both transcendent and tragic.
A wonderful complement – thanks!
Wow, Wayne. What Sylvia and Bud said. Stunning poem.
Thank you so much, Kevin
Oh, gut punch! Well done.
Thank you!
Heartbreaking.
❤️
Love how this poem reckons with time and that hard twist at the end: “Until my daughter was gone.”
The title says it all. Your words are full of parental emotion.
The implications of the last two stanzas are heartbreaking. Well done.
The clarity and frankness here makes it even more powerful. Hugs to you.