41. The Man Who Ran Away

I want you in my life.

You say that you will be remembered

Twenty years from now

You’ll be in the hall of infamy

But they won’t know your name

And on your headstone it will say

The Man Who Ran Away

There are a million excuses you give

For the decisions you’ve made

I know your childhood was rough

And your parents were far from perfect

But no matter what your reasons

You’ll always be The Man Who Ran Away

Your momma cries every night for you

Wondering where you’ve gotten to

She hasn’t seen you in over twenty years

And if you ever bother showing up someday

Don’t expect to be welcomed home by me

Because to me you’ll still be The Man Who Ran Away

There are a hundred thousand reasons why

And two sides to every story

I know you’ve been to hell and back

And someday you'll be infamous

And everyone will know you by your true name

The Man Who Ran Away

Author's Note

This poem is about a family member who I never met. He has never had any interest in seeing me. This poem expresses my anger towards him. I never did anything to him but I feel like he's punishing me. I want to know him. I want to love him. I want for him to want to be a part of my life. It's unfortunate that he doesn't.