This is how a family shapes you.
Simply by being there,
just always being there.
Words that settle in the skin,
maybe forgiveness;
words of death and
words of life. Bursts
of laughter and silly dances,
flashes of anger and deep regret.
The times you couldn’t
afford anything but love,
and times of plenty
you took for granted.
Decisions made without
your approval, decisions made
with your voice as part of the choir,
decision made for you
as an unspoken blessing.
Sometimes you forget what
a many-splendored thing
a family is. Sometimes
it is a gift. Sometimes
it is not. You must decide
when to get your hands dirty.
Decide who’s the potter.
Decide who’s the clay.
Decide who’s the potter –
when to get your hands dirty.
You must decide. It is not
sometimes, it is a gift.
A family is a many splendored thing.
Sometimes you forget.
It is an unspoken blessing,
a decision made for you,
your voice part of a choir.
A decision made without
your approval. You take for granted
times of plenty, times
you couldn’t afford anything more than love.
Bursts of laughter and dancing,
flashes of anger, deep regret.
Words of life.
Words of death.
Maybe: forgiveness.
Those words settle in the skin,
always just there.
Simply being there.
This is how a family shapes you.
