I cried last night while reading a book to my kids. They aren’t quite teenagers, yet my wife and I still join them every night and take turns reading a book with them. It’s been a routine since they were babies. They’ve grown very tall. The oldest passed up grandpa’s height, (not hard to do). They’ve tackled tougher chores and responsibilities.
They’re old enough that I’ve been reading the books I’ve written. We were sharing “Inheritance of a Sword and a Path” last night. There is a spot in the book where the young protagonist has gone off on his adventure, and I show a scene with his father. The man is worried about his son, and tries to find answers staring into the son’s empty bedroom. I wrote this before I was a father, but the words really hit me. By the time I got near the end of this poem, my voice choked up and I cried while finishing it. Afterward, I had to give both of them a big hug. I’ll miss these days when the boys move on.
This is the poem, though in the book it’s credited as being from a play:
Oh, where has the child strayed?
Years passing until full bloom
Flower of my life, gone away
And I stare into an empty bedroom.
The linen on the bed
Lays flat and evenly spread
Old toys of youth lay discarded nearby
Time here is suspended
From the moment youth ended
How fast have the years gone by?
Oh, where has the child strayed?
Years passing until full bloom
Flower of my life, gone away
And I stare into an empty bedroom.
Some voices I do hear
Though none now are spoken here
All are memories passed down through the years
Quiet darkness rules about
No more cries, screams nor shouts
Just silence, except the sounds of my tears.
Oh, where has the child strayed?
Years passing until full bloom
Flower of my life, gone away
And I stare into an empty bedroom.
I pray blessed you’ll be
Though you wander far from me
But know that my heart journeys with you
Over roads that you may roam
And hardships yet unknown
Let a moral compass guide you true.
Oh, where has the child strayed?
Years passing until full bloom
Flower of my life, gone away
And I cry inside an empty bedroom.