He walked to school along the path
That his father had taught him,
Where just beyond the rocky outcrop
Was the land he had inherited.
One day, just one day,
When he became big and strong,
He would farm it
And feed from it
And live long
For those he loved.
Something had come into their home
And had taken their father away.
No one saw it.
But it came, sure as night,
And they only saw what it did.
Father’s face, Father’s chest,
Father’s legs, Father’s stomach
Father had failed, and the light
In his eyes had died,
And Father too had died.
He counted the years,
Ten of them to go,
Then he would be a man
And wipe away Mother’s tears.
If Mother lived that long.
Because something had come into their home
And was taking their mother away.
No one saw it.
But it was there, sure as night.
And they now saw what it did.
Mother’s face, Mother’s chest,
Mother’s legs, Mother’s stomach.
Mother was failing, and the light
In her eyes was dying.
And Mother too was dying.
3 comments:
"Father and Mother" has so much depth- I keep rereading it to try and decipher everything it means.
What is this entity that looms over and eventually tears this loving family apart? is it something tangible like a disease or intangible like death?
There is also this contrast between day and night, light and darkness, life and death.
I wonder if the words “face”, “chest”, “legs” and “stomach” were used to emphasize on values like face: love (the familiarity of family), chest: tenderness (care from parents), legs: work and subsistence (to preserve the family line), stomach: life & health.
There’s also this idea about the sanctity of life:
“He would farm it/And feed from it/And live long/For those he loved”
“Then he would be a man/And wipe away Mother’s tears./If Mother lived that long”
What’s most puzzling of all is "Father and Mother" is under the section called "Africa"- so if the family represents Africans then does the unknown entity represent colonialism?
Umar, help me out, what does “Father and Mother” represent?
Very simply, I was writing about an African boy that was being orphaned by HIV/AIDS. Yet I'm amazed and impressed by how much you've drawn from it.
Interesting… so the unknown entity that enters their lives is HIV/AIDS….very interesting
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