This section of Ghost Writer’s Lament gathers family‑themed poems written between 1996 and 2007. Each piece is shaped by the warmth, ache, and memory of kinship. All poems on this page are protected by copyright. Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission. These verses are fragments of memory, carried forward in ink and kept close to the heart.
Family
I once believed my family didn’t care,
but time revealed a love still there.
When death arrived, I held my breath,
afraid to face the weight of death.
I whispered why through trembling cries,
asking why he had to close his eyes.
I hadn’t shared enough of life,
and grief cut through me like a knife.
I felt my mind begin to fray,
wishing I could turn back the day—
Rewind the hours I let slip by,
and truly know the man who died.
This day will never fade from me;
its sorrow lives in memory.
And though the tears refuse to cease,
you are my family—rest in peace.
O brother, my elder brother,
sometimes I swear our mother
should’ve tucked you away for a quieter day —
I mean that in the gentlest way.
You bluster like a fool by choice,
while I speak with a steadier voice;
O dear brother — older, yet childish still —
you shower me with insults and punch‑buggy thrills.
But I know your weakness, yes I do:
Huggies — the mighty hugs that undo you.
O brother, naïve as ever,
you don’t hate me — not really, not ever.
You just bristle at my wit, my shine,
the brilliance you pretend isn’t mine.
You crave attention like a newborn child,
O brother, why must you act so wild?
Nearly thirty, yet ten at heart —
what will your girlfriend say of your art?
You play PS2 through the dead of night,
then wonder why daylight stabs your sight.
Despise me, tell lies, spin theories anew —
a grand conspiracy starring me and you.
You might be wrong, or you might be right…
O brother, sleep tight in your chaos tonight.
Ode to Daddy
Might have been fifteen years,
Might have shed so many tears.
Might have shared a couple beers,
Might have raised a few loud cheers.
Ode to Daddy,
May you finally find your peace.
Ode to Daddy,
May your strength and health increase.
Ode to Daddy,
May your life be yours — never lived on lease.
Fireworks and that barbecue,
Oh, how rare those moments grew.
I still remember those summer days,
Beneath the sun’s relentless rays.
Ode to Daddy,
Your life was hell.
Ode to Daddy,
I never meant to make you yell.
Ode to Daddy,
I still hear you calling — a ringing mental bell.
Piggyback rides and ice cream,
Movies that made you jump, made me scream.
Sleeping under the open sky,
In a neighborhood where no cars passed by.
Ode to Daddy,
Will I ever get that time again?
Ode to Daddy,
Will you ever laugh at my silly jokes again?
Ode to Daddy,
Will I ever be the one who forgets where we’ve been?
Daddy’s girl in the kitchen,
Mom always fussing, always bitching.
“Look at what I can do —
Daddy, I can tie my shoe!”
Look, Daddy — I got married.
Look, Daddy — away I was carried.
Look, Daddy — your first grandchild.
Look, Daddy — his very first smile.
Look, Daddy — his first word: Dada.
Look, Daddy — his second word: Mama.
Look, Daddy — I think he’ll be a singer;
Wouldn’t that be a ring‑dinger?
Ode to Daddy,
How I wish you weren’t one of the few.
Ode to Daddy,
How I wish your stories had been true.
Ode to Daddy,
You can’t help but be you.
~~He passed on January 1st, 2015: a three‑tour Vietnam Marine. The cancer from Camp Lejeune finally caught up to him; it spread, it metastasized, and the fight he carried all his life took him home... (No I'm Not Part Of The Lawsuit. Because The Time I Found Out It Was Lejeune, It Was Too Late To Make That Claim >.< ) He never met his only Grandkid either. Smh. Heart breaks every new year....
