Tuesday, April 10, 2018

"Steps" by Kaitlyn Vaughn

Steps
Kaitlyn Vaughn

Weekends come, and weekends go
But certain ones, he always knows
"Steps" Ink on Paper
By J. Artemus Gordon

Days come, and days, also, go
But his voice, she never knows.

One lies awake in bed
Missing and remembering words she’s said
Another lies in a peaceful slumber
A word from him was but a murmur.

How saddening it is to watch one’s child
Grow up within a mile of her own family
But she they never stop to see.
How saddening it is to see one’s child
Watch his mother linger around
Just long enough to uplift her “mother’s” crown.

Selfish are parents who walk away 
From their children who soon forget to play
For they grow up too quickly
From seeing their parents forget them completely.
Seriousness begins to furrow their brows
Altogether forgetting their childhood vows
To live, laugh, and be HAPPY.
How can a small one do just that
When a parent so willingly takes his/her leave?
Never comprehending the direct damage
That denying these babies the love they deserve
Can only drain and famish themselves in the end.
Unbeknownst to the children and the senseless parents
Until time turns the young ones old
And they remember their steps.

Poet’s Notes:  I gained a stepson when I married, and he is absolutely wonderful.  I wish I felt the same about my stepson’s biological mother and, for that matter, my own daughter’s biological father.

In the last line, I refer to the children as remembering their “steps.”  In this case, I refer to my husband and me as their “steps” as in “stepparents” but also to the “steps” that the children have taken and will take throughout their lives with their stepparents’ help, love, and guidance.

Editor’s Note:  There is wisdom here that goes way beyond Kaitlyn’s years, and I wish to take this opportunity to thank Kaitlyn for sharing this deeply personal yet sadly all-too-universal narrative with Songs of Eretz.  I read recently in Imprimis that half of all babies in the United States are now born out of wedlock, and single moms raise well over half.  Kaitlyn’s daughter and stepson are fortunate that they now live in such a loving blended family. 

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