"THE SHADOW OF MY FATHER"

My father is a Black, and Cherokee Indian, man
Who, in his youth, married (my mother) a young white woman
And the struggles they endured
Cast a long shadow, across my family and my heart
My father, a man of great charisma and selfishness
Left, my mother and my siblings
To walk the path he chose as his destiny
But the shadow that he left
Never dissipated, and followed me wherever I went
And still does today
As a man, a Mulatto man
It took years for me to understand
That I was not hated because of my father
Or treated unfairly for his choice in marriage
But I was treated differently for one reason
No, not the color of my skin
But because I hated myself
And I hated myself because my father
Never taught me to love myself
And throughout my long-time, solitary, struggles
It was God who held my hand
And taught me to appreciate myself
As a very unique man
And indeed, to appreciate the uniqueness
Of ALL men
It was then that I finally learned to Love
That I finally learned to rejoice
In this life that I've been given
And I am so filled with Love today
That my soul is overjoyed, to simply state
I owe so much, of who I am
To,
"The Shadow, Of My Father"...

 

Tony Taylor   (Chicago)