Arm in Arm

You look forward in to her eyes
She has grown when you weren't watching
She is now as tall as you are
She still looks up to you however

How you treat her
Is how she will always want to be treated
Maybe subconsciously
But you have formed her expectation

Now the opportunity arises
She is in need of discipline
A lecture, a punishment, harsh words
But are there other options?

She seems dug in
At this age she can't afford to be wrong
She won't be shown up
She loves you but wants her independence

An argument is ready to explode
And she does not know how to stop it
It is a turf battle that goes far beyond
The matter foremost in your mind

So you apply what you have learned
You take the role of the adult
You reach out to her
And take her in your arms

All to worlds problems are not solved that day
But a world of respect is gained
A child looks up to her parent
And knows that she was wrong

The hug communicates the love
The love communicates the heart
The heart feeds the mind the words
To communicate problem and resolution

~ Michael L. Perkins
October 6, 2005

And the leaves are falling...

The first day of school
Excitement fills the air
New clothes, supplies, friends
Summer fun to remember and share

To the child it is the beginning of a new day
To the parent the end of another year
The child things in terms of future
The parent keeps recalling the past

So much given to raise this child
So much given to provide
Filling the schedule with the upcoming events
The year seems scripted before it has begun

I remind myself to be patient
The let the minutes occur by themselves
Not to rush through the day and my life
But to enjoy each moment

The leaves are still on the tree
I must not already see them falling
The children are still growing and needing
I must not see them as gone and grown up

There is an excitement in the air
A sense of promise and wonder
I breathe it in, fill my soul
And I know that I am also young

~ Michael L. Perkins
August 24, 2006

Inside A Father's Soul

You look down at those eyes
And you see everything you ever dreamed of being
You see unlimited opportunities
You see unconditional love and respect

Inside, your soul somersaults
Can I provide this child with the opportunities?
Can they succeed where I have failed?
Will this child always love the real me?

My child sees all of me that is good
And looks past or doesn't understand my deficiencies
The passion in their eyes has not been beaten down
By the realities of a harsh world

As a father, should I introduce the harsh realities
And take away their opinion of the perfect world
Or let the world present it's dangers to them
And help them navigate through as they need me

As a father, should I assume that they will trip as I have
Or let them walk on their own and see how they balance
By sharing my experiences, do I create their own?
Would I be better to just nudge them forward versus leading?

A father's soul can be simplified
The child goes long, the father let's the ball fly
Running, looking back over the shoulder, finding the flight of the ball
Catching, holding on; a completion and all is well

If only imparting all of life's joys and lessons could be so easy

A father's soul can be too complex
Perfection is the only goal
I haven't been but my child can be
They will be all that I couldn't bring myself to be

It is best to let them fly
They have wings of their own and they will flap them
I must nudge them out of the nest
Impart in them the self-confidence to fly

Each child must find their own way
Follow the road that they choose to travel
As a parent, I must only help them learn to drive
To stay on the road as much as possible

And when they get mud on their tires
And life's dirt has attempted to stain them
I must be ready to wash them clean
Through acceptance, love and compassion

A father's job is never done
But is made easier if mom is on the job too
A child needs to understand that they have a safe haven
A home where they can always just be themselves

A father's soul is restless
Have I done enough?
Will this child love themselves as much as I love them?
Will they understand their purpose in life?

A father's soul is full of fright
How can I impart the wisdom I could never grasp?
How can I teach them purpose when I sometimes question my own?
How can I?


Imparting all of life's joy and lessons means clearly showing your child
that you don't have all the answers

A father's soul should be filled with humility
And pride
A father's soul should be filled
And emptied out again and again for that child


~ Michael L. Perkins
date unavailable

Music To Live By

JAZZ... the freedom to float away
yet know always where you are,
to journey outward on and on
and never venture too far.

CLASSICAL... the strictness of form
all full of pattern and grace
never varying from its intentions
but saying more than is on its face

COUNTRY...
always to
the heart
human emotion
at its most sad,
somehow shining
gloomy light on
all somehow
making one
glad.

ROCK... no form, no intention,
but to be heard, felt, understood,
no thinging, no inner meaning,
just listening, feeling good.

LIFE... the music of many instruments
many styles coming as one,
giving us freedom, discipline,
sadness and fun.

MAN... all hear a different song
all live a different life,
being able to appreciate all forms
rids all of needless strife.

AS MUSIC SOOTHES THE LISTENER
SO MUST LIFE SOOTHE THE LIVING,
OPEN YOURSELF TO ALL THERE IS
RECEIVE ALL THAT LIFE IS GIVING.


~ Mike L. Perkins

Chaff & Grain
West Virginia Wesleyan College Literary Magazine
Spring, 1986

Poetry

My wife has unearthed some prose I wrote many years. One of them was published when I was in college at West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, WV. I will post them as my next four posts, then hope to continue to write as 2017 dawns.

Happy New Year everyone!