He felt pride in saying my wife

my daughters

my sons

my house, my cars, my work

 

He felt gratification when he

complained to his friends It’s going to cost a fortune for it

 

Because he knew he could afford it

and he knew they couldn’t.

 

He felt accomplished

When his eldest daughter and son

Went off to college

I taught them right!

He’d boast to himself

and to others even more.

 

He felt like a good husband

when he did the house chores for his wife

and took her out to dinner.

 

He felt like a good father

when he told his daughters You know

you can tell me anything—ask me anything.

He promised them everything he did

was for them

so he felt like a good father.

 

But,

 

Would he still feel pride in saying my wife

my daughters

my sons

my house, my cars, my work

If he knew his daughters, sons, and wife couldn’t

say my of anything

because all the my’s were already taken

by their father,

by their husband?

 

Would he still feel gratification when he

complains to his friends It’s going to cost a fortune for it

 

If he knew that they whispered amongst themselves

when his back was turned

hissing about his egotism,

his lack of humility?

 

Would he still feel accomplished

Because his eldest daughter and son went off to college

and boast

I taught them right!

If he knew his son

was out every night

partying drinking disrespecting woman

not making right choices?

 

If he knew his daughter

was so agonizingly lost in life and in herself

so much so that she crys herself to sleep

at the end of every day

because she’s studying

something her father made her study

instead of doing something she loves?

Would he still feel accomplished then?

 

Would he still feel like a good husband

when he does the house chores for his wife

and takes her out to dinner

if he realized he did this sparingly,

and if he knew she was so lonely and exhausted

taking care of the kids,

going to work,

cleaning the house all the other days?

 

Would he still feel like a good father

when he tells his daughters You know

you can tell me anything—ask me anything.

And when he’d promise them everything he does was for them

if he knew—he knew—that was a hollow promise

that he kept too few a time

for it to be considered kept?

 

Would he still feel pride

gratification accomplishment

feel like a good father and husband in saying my wife

my daughters

my sons

My house, my cars, my work

if he knew of his resenting friends

of his lonely and exhausted wife who will leave him in a year’s time

of his son who will soon overdose on some drug

and would eventually drop out of college?

Or if he knew his troubled daughter

surely won’t be here much longer?

Would he still?

Would he still?

Would he?