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

 

As the years rolled on 

We made the uncomfortable accommodation

That old rivals often make

Learning where not to go, what not to say

With wounds close to the surface and visible scars 


Now he is stardust floating in the firmament

And others glibly dismiss and write him off 

But a wistful smile comes to my lips

As I take account and reconsider   

The man who made me earn my place in this world


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