True Strength Poem by Maurice Harris

</>I remember as a little boy, the enraptured awe
I felt when I thought of my Father, and how strong he was;
Sadly, my eyes were not trained, so that's all I saw
And thus, believed him a heroic figure, because
Of same-yet, I was so sadly mistaken!
My Father was not a hero, nor was he truly strong-
He was a coward, and I am sorry he has taken
So much, from so many-and that he did it for so long!

Now, as a man, I know the essence of true strength-
It is the ability to remain resolute in your conviction,
No matter the consequences imposed, no matter the length
Of suffering endured-this is real life, not fiction,
Or make believe-here, pain is very real;
True strength is the endurance, to endure that which you feel,
Inside, at the thought of all the pain endured-
The ability to realize that, his untimely death cured
The weakness he tried to hide frrom the rest of us,
He took so much through cowardice, but not the best of us-
We have nothing, about which to be ashamed,
The monster I called my Father, is the only one to be blamed!

-Maurice Harris,28 August 2011