And To All Young Men

Like explaining what color is to a dog,
Like explaining the limits of the universe,
How could I have imagined what having a family truly meant
Had I not had one of my very own?

Now that I do,
I can't imagine what my life was like without
My wife,
My son,
My daughter.
Sap, I suppose.
Sticky, messy sap,
Dripping from severed limb
Of family tree,
Getting all over me.

That was me,
Yeah, that was me.
Not understanding the discomfort
Or how to wipe my skin clean
Without half removing it in the process.

From about age four,
I was already looking for the door,
Knowing in my heart there was more love out there.

Forty years on,
I am happy to say I have found more than I know what to do with.
Moreover,
My skin is clean,
And intact.

So, to all dogs: be happy that you can see,
Color or no color.
To the whole universe:
You go on being just as big as you want to be.
And to all young men:
Keep exiting the door till you find what it is you are looking for!

"The universe is wider than our views of it." H. D. Thoreau