Our Father

Our father abused us
By the standards
Of today’s pusillanimous
Society and we loved him
Because he was our father
And he loved all six of us.
He cracked our heads
Together or against a wall
And beat us with his belt,
But he whispered to us
At bedtime to dream of ponies.
He took us on car trips to
Kaskaskia and numerous other
Places to explore and learn.
He led by example and was
Both tolerant and adamant
Against racial or ethnic slurs.
He worked us but he worked
With us and never shirked
A task nor let us slack.
As he read his newspaper,
He let us eat his Spanish
Peanuts when we asked,
All of us one by one,
Time after time till gone.
He taught us Morse code
And forgave when we failed,
His Scientific American
Magazines let us know of
Ion drive space ships and
Such as elementary school
Children who were raised
To consume knowledge
Like buttered popcorn.
We all blossomed into
Perceptive, talented adults,
All more aware of
Reality than most.
Illusions and ideologies
Were play toys we
Were denied.
The truth has
Set us free,
Beware giving us
A false smile.