Sad Dad Poem by Joseph D E Phillips

My words may not be exuberant
but poetry is nothing if not truthful.
I put it to you straight:

I try to hold it together for you kids.
I swallow hard and take a deep breath.
I force myself to peel out of bed.

I feel trapped in a cage forever.
I know what tomorrow holds
and it mirrors yesterday and today.

I cannot seize the day.
I cannot find the key to escape the cage.
I do not even know where the lock is,

so when you wonder why your dad
roams somber, quiet and grumpy,
just know it was never your fault.

An invisible force
squeezes my chest and throat.
It feels like I cannot truly breathe.

A fog often grabs my brain
and I am blinded by a hopelessness
that keeps me from seeing the beautiful colors of you.

Perhaps the key is a hike in the mountains
but I must feed the capitalist machine.
It is the only way I know how to survive.

I hope, my dears, that you break the cycle I could not.
The end goal is joy, spontaneity,
choice, creativity and self worth

but to eat and have a roof over your head.