Brendan Waits

[Questingpoet]

Brendan Waits

Brendan waits…
for in silence he sees,
but still cannot comprehend
the vast changes in his world,
or the distance from that place of security
he once knew.

A singular spirit born of joy and steeped in curiosity
now wraps itself in stillness,
and holds on with a quiet desperation.
Big eyes echo a smile, once freely shared
but now deeply bound within his stained
and shattered heart.

~Echoes are but memories and cannot erase pain,
nor explain sadness~

Brendan hates…
selfishness most of all.
No words exist to help a small boy understand
those who are supposed to love him most,
but ignore his feelings for their own sake.
In confusion and sadness he wanders,
seeking absolution for a faultless crime.

But the guilty know their names:
A mother who fails all charges
and neither knows, nor cares.
A father who works too often,
plays too little, and hides too much.
All those he loves who fail him!

~They reach for the stars, but could have had the Sun~

Brendan creates…
what he needs to survive.
He carries with him a house of cards
and builds to suit a need without fear,
his house having long since crashed down.

The love he calls "sister" sits and watches
and claps at all the right times,
so Brendan builds for her too.
He builds for their love.
And for that, which in time,
they will both forget.

~The first house to fall is the first one forgotten~

Brendan waits for life to be fair.
Unbroken, unheard, and unaware.
And though his heart is full of care
Inside despair

Brendan waits…




An ode to my son Brendan who is a sweet and wise soul at the age of seven. I did take some poetic licence here and assume some things he is feeling, but divorce is never easy on a child. I hope in years to come he will read this and understand.

[Dew]

I really liked what you did with this...instead of relating to my life, I felt myself falling into the subject and the cathartic emotions that come with a story well-told. I felt sorry and sad while reading. I guess it reminded after all of the 'forgotten grievers' in life, when no one realizes what they've been robbed of. Wonderful poem! - Dew

[Questingpoet]

Thank you all for reading and understanding where this came from.

[sparky21737]

I'm gald this piece was brought back up. It is a beautiful and sad write. I loved the lines in italics and the stanza about Brendan creates. A wonderful poem and thanks for sharing

Sparky

[Questingpoet]

Thank you both! I am humbled and honored this was put in the spotlight. Two years later... Brendan is doing just fine :)

[Ladywildalice]

I am sad that I missed this when you first posted it. Having dealt with divorce and a son struggling with that event, this speaks to my heart. He is a grown man now, with growing children of his own, and seems to have come through the worst of it, but there are so many not that fortunate. Excellent write and wonderful write to be honored in the Spotlight. Very well deserving. Congratulations.

[Mizzy]

An extremely deep write about the rigours of divorce,
seen through the eyes and heart of an innocent victim.
I think the loss of family togetherness scars children for life.

I'm glad this earned a Spotlight !

Mick.

[tangerinepie]

Poignant and revealing, and the message I got here was that the parents divorcing must make a supreme effort to lay aside their own grief and consider the children first and foremost.I admired how you looked deeply to see the child's point of view, and in being able to do so, the child still felt worthy and loved.A fabulous spot light choice...a fabulous read..Tangie..

[Dew]

...and congrats on the spotlight!!

[Questingpoet]

Wow, I'm really overwhelmed by the comments here and I thank you all most sincerely. Over the course of raising four children, I've tried to write a poem for each of them. My intent was to both express my love and to perhaps give them a snapshot as an adult of their lives and feeling as a child. Brendan's unfortunately came at a time of great upheaval and sadness in our family, although as a seven year old he may not quite have understood it all. I suppose too writing it was my way of mourning for Brendan with Brendan. It was a very emotional time, but that can often create strong opportunities to write. Again, thank you for the spotlight and all the wonderful comments :)