Stalemate Poem by Bill Upton

There is something in the loss of a parent
That cuts into the soul.
It is the emotional, surgical detachment of the heartstring
That has defined life as we know it.
Regardless of recovery time or attempted efforts to normalize,
There is a critical part of your brain
That does not respond.. There is a part of your manhood that leaves
With the man,
And there is another part that will grow back
After facing the harshest reality
To sprout the seeds of a new man-
One who has looked eyeball to eyeball
With life and death
And will gather the courage
To break even.