you were my manchild in a promise land*
I made promises to you
when you were born
had hopes and dreams
some were full-filled
others
fell by the wayside
you grew
coming to manhood
in the midst of my own personal angst
and sorrows
parents, much to children's dismay
make mistakes
I made mistakes
but you have always been loved
sometimes too fiercly
or tenderly
other times, bittersweetly
and even angrily
Manchild, I still offer the same promise
made at your birth
a parent's love
it will always be there
part of my eternal bond
from me to you
Note:
- I sketched this pencil drawing of my son when he was about ten years old. My hand and eye coordination were severely affected, at the time by MS. As you can tell, the lines are badly drawn and the sense of unity is distorted. That year, I discard my paints, pencils, and guitars, as it was painfully obvious, that I could no longer control my hands. The title of the drawing is "AJ at Shabbat". He was one on the cutest little boys, with his blue suede kippah...
- Manchild in a Promise Land - is an autobiographical novel written by Claude Brown. It tells about the author's coming of age amidst poverty and violence in Harlem during the 1940s and 1950s and has frequently appeared on banned book lists.
