Words Left Unspoken To My Son: Semantics Poem by Khristian E. Kay

you must understand the value of words
their syntax and command their power
to control and define

'well? ' she asked 'what would you do? '

'It's not a question I want to answer
it's not a concept that we should even be
entertaining - it is like naming the forbidden'

'No we should be talking about this, it is
important it is who we are now.'

'It's like seeing the bride in her gown before the
wedding - it is like'

'no. it is a reality a fact of life like death
I want to know - if their are
complications
what are you going to do? '

Complications? Complications?
giving birth having a baby is not complications
it is a change in life life arriving
newly born newly aware newly alive

'but what if there were complications?
What are you going to do? '

And this I thought about my hand
resting on your kicking feet
twisting and turning inside her belly
This I thought about
this life inside
this consciousness
awareness thriving and thrashing
about impatient to
begin to grow to renew

the tapping against my palm through the skin that
I have caressed and warmed

'of course I would tell them to save you
we could always have another baby
but save the mother save my wife save the
woman I love
of course I would choose you'

she curled into my arms on my lap
almost purring as you often do
you remind me of her in many ways

she should have known the truth
she was a very smart woman
and the truth is that I am a good father
better than any husband I could ever be