Lieutenant Lane Gets the News
someone might have told my dad
while he lay in a hospital,
from a misdirected shell.
I have some bad news, Lieutenant Lane.
It was friendly fire, so
no Purple Heart for you.
I have some good news, Lieutenant Lane
someone might have told my dad
as an oh-by-the-way appendix
to the military news.
I have some good news, Lieutenant Lane.
Congratulations, you're a dad.
As of 1600 hours, EST,
You now have a son.
How often in the years that followed
did you think of me as good news,
and how often, news yet even worse?
You got over the uninvited shrapnel
soon enough, it seems.
How long did it take to get over
the cruel remarks of your
smart-mouthed son?
I have to stop and conjure up
the times I was a good son,
most of them toward the end.
The many words I wish I'd never said,
Stay with me like a scar.
And, though you could have been
a better dad, I finally figured out,
you did the best you could.
Of that, I have no doubt.
Published by Thomas Cleveland Lane
I am a semi-retired freelance writer (willing to take on new clients). I work in local (Montgomery County, Md.) theater at the amateur and non-union level. When I don t have an onstage gig, I go to piano bar... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a CommentOh, Tom. Very touching.
Sad that we as children don't realize the power of our own words and actions. We can't unring a bell, but we can soften the echoes.
This is very moving. Beautifully written, Thomas.
Good ol' 20/20 hindsight~is it a blessing or a curse? I see my adult children making some of the same mistakes with their children that I made with them, and it hurts.
I don't have much to add to what everyone else has already said. It's a fine poem.
Couldn't have been an easy one to write.
A harsh look back upon yourself Thomas- We look back at our parents as say- they did the best they could with what they had- We should also look back at ourselves as children and hug ourselves for our human failings- knowing we did or didn't do the best we could- because of what, where and who we were at the time. Very touching!
What a sad peom.
Insightful poem that gave me the shivers. Ultimately, acceptance is the best way to deal with childhood slings hurled in both directions. I am always puzzled by the phrase "he did the best he could" as applied to parents. Sometimes parents are selfish by choice (myself included) and could have done better... but elected not to!