By Gabriel Bates
My son is in the middle of
a full-blown tantrum.
He won’t stop kicking,
screaming,
and stomping around
the living room.
I do my best to stay calm
and be patient,
hoping we can
just ride this one out.
But then he looks at me
with teary eyes and asks,
“Daddy,
why don’t you love me?”
And for a second,
I see myself standing there
in his place.
Suddenly,
I can hear my father
yelling at me.
He just keeps repeating,
“Stop crying
like a fucking baby!”
I don’t say that,
though.
Instead,
I bend down
to hold that little boy close
and try to give him
the grace he deserves.
Gabriel Bates is a poet living in Tiffin, Ohio. His work has appeared in several publications, online and in print. Keep up with him at gabrielbates.substack.com