Poem 2

A Mother’s Promise:

And she said we of the fatherless tribe love differently,

See unlike most girls I don’t look for my father in the hearts of other men

I can’t look for something that I never had

Rainbow and butterfly visions of my father walking me down the aisle would not be found surrounding the clouds that are my thoughts

Instead I make a promise to my unborn son

I promise that to the best of my ability he will not be a member of the dead beat dad club

He will not be another Black man without ambition or a work ethic

He will aspire for greatness

He will stand upon the shoulders of his father, my husband, and also learn from him

I have seen enough single mothers and their sons to know that a mother alone can’t equip her son with the necessary knowledge to be a full man

I will teach him how to treat a woman

How to respect her

How to appreciate her body while stimulating her mind

Chivalry will be alive in this young man

He will not take after the grandfather he will never know

He will take responsibility for his actions

And not become a coward

Not become a man who allows his pride to stand in the way of forming a relationship with his firstborn

My son will not fail his children

Let it be said, my son will not be perfect

He will make mistakes

He will break someone’s heart

He will do things that young, college men do

All the while keeping his eye on the prize

And on the day he becomes someone’s husband and father

He will thank my husband and I for sprinkling his journey to becoming a man with knowledge and wisdom.