CHRIS J. MELANSON
PoetryArtworkFiction
“Lessons”


Both of your parents are now dead.
Most would think the thoughts in your head
Would come from sadness, anger, depression and pain.
None of these actually.
See, you never once met your dad,
And your mother,
Her, you never had.
So thoughts in your head
Come from confusion and distrust—
Fixed delusions—
People always told you they were your parents.
So, then where were they to care?
Where were they when you needed guidance?
See, they never gave you a speech about life,
Only a lifelong silence.

Both of your parents are now gone.
Your mother, her, you didn’t know that long,
And your father,
He died when you were a kid—
You never saw him once—
Not once.
All you have is a memory of nothing at all—
Not a hug,
Not a kiss,
Not a smash into the wall
From an angry father
Or a hateful mother;
Nothing but stories
Of drugged up, bad decision makers;
Stories, and who knows what is true?
But you’re smart.
You know what to learn from it all.
You know what to do.
Right?

All Content Copyright © Chris J. Melanson. All Rights Reserved.
-Chris J. Melanson 2001