weapon of choice

It's hard to justify,
rectify
Respect
a father who uses
not his hands to abuse
but his words
whose hairy, hardly fit
habitually hateful
"hold on just one second
I'm not through with you"
type approach to parenting
favors him
9 times out of 10
a man who sports a
handlebar moustache
a-typical patriot
eagle-on-flag tattoo
and a "blame game" attitude
that's defensive at best
but mostly plays defense for his
ego
and teaches his children
not how to read but
how to make excuses
(it's not my fault I can't read
I've got ADD,
I can't help that I can't get a job
I've got a GED
an STD and
a flat foot)
The "can't just a book
by its cover" philosophy doesn't work
this time, for this book
tells the story you'd expect
three times divorced, truck driving
trailer trashed on bud light beers
and one son who grew out of juvie
and into jail--
we'll not mention his name but to say
see you in 2 to 4, maybe
and no earlier for good behavior
because you take after your dad--
and another son, a kid really
with a baby his own
slinging burgers to make minimum wage
to support his young family of three
and a temper inherited from
his father, father
of a daughter who has already
at fifteen
been caught shop lifting and
painting on eyeliner thick enough
to trick older boys into liking her
taking advantage of her
and lying about her age.
But hey, maybe these kids won't
perpetuate
the system, fall victim
to circumstance,
follow their father's size twelve
footsteps down the alter,
back to prison,
jail or the baby ward
even though
everything we've seen of them
thus far
tells us yes,
they will.