Love Poem: Families
Peter Golden Avatar
Written by: Peter Golden

Families

Stilted conversations 
over many years 
have left me 
bewildered, angry, 
even ashamed of who I am. 

Superficial intercourse 
always open for discussion 
as wry smiles and 
awkward silences 
fill the artificial existence 
we all pretend to enjoy. 

We gather round, 
an afternoon soiree, 
as families do of course... 

But our eyes never meet 
as those who love 
each other should, 
all blind to each 
other’s emotional needs. 

Dysfunctional neurosis, 
the glue 
that has kept us together. 
Ironically, reticence, 
the glue 
which continues 
to pull us apart.