Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Paternity
Father stays aboard
a big ship
from a faraway ocean—
everyday for nine months
of every year.
Father sometimes
works for more than
18 hours a day
in the deepest part
of the big ship;
where everything
scorches like hell
and a mishap
can break Father
into pieces.
When Father goes on top
of the big ship,
there are no people
except workers
like Father.
Around them, only water.
When Father feels sad,
he calls up Home
via satellite.
Father then becomes
happy for five minutes:
three minutes because of Mother,
one minute because of Son,
one minute because of Daughter.
After that,
Father drowns
himself in alcohol
for five hours.
Everyday for nine months
of every year,
while aboard the big ship
from a faraway ocean,
Father fights infinite sadness,
defies the angry waves
of the vast sea,
and courageously faces the
perils in the engine room—
all because of Mother,
Son, and Daughter.
And after resting for only a month,
Father leaves Home again tomorrow.
Included in Father’s luggage,
his heart that pounds pervasively
for Mother, Son, and Daughter—
Enough to keep Father company
for the next nine months,
aboard the big ship
from a faraway ocean,
where there are no
other people but
workers like
Great Father
himself.
PSHS, 3:30 pm
(06/23/04)