Holding The Line
Gone five years—July 12, 2024, the 93rd year of Philly Kane. Holding The Line In or about my eleventh year I decided the rules That governed me That governed our family Were not for me These rules, enforced by my father Lacked space To breathe and explore To be different and clever To take the goddamn road less traveled Yearning for freedom I searched like a Buddha For a crack in the palace wall Eventually, a fissure revealed itself and I broke free To leap along city streets pursuing love and adventure Leaving behind those nagging rules for others There was a prohibitive cost to this rebellion Nevertheless, I remained true to myself And challenged my dad at every turn Delivering blows that hurt him bad But he was an immovable object, never standing down An unenviable position to be sure Drawing and holding that line Not out of pettiness or spite But out of the sacred commitment He made as a father...