Fathers (Pantoum)

Telemachus brought the bow unstrung
to his father's god-crazed hands,
never whining or complaining.
His father had worries of his own.

To his father's god-crazed hands,
young Isaac submitted his trust.
His father had worries of his own
like building an altar on a mountain.

Young Isaac submitted his trust
to a man he would someday supplant.
Like building an altar on a mountain,
we stand on the shoulders of others.

To a man he would someday supplant,
little David played lyre for Saul.
We stand on the shoulders of others
not knowing the pain of our fathers.

Little David played lyre for Saul
displacing the son's rightful duty.
Not knowing the pain of our fathers,
we marry women like our mothers.

Displacing the son's rightful duty
in order to survive our childhood,
we marry women like our mothers
and become our fathers ourselves.

In order to survive our childhood,
we hide our contempt behind laughter
then become our fathers ourselves
and go off to war with the others.

We hide our contempt behind laughter
at those who stay home with the women,
and go off to war with the others
returning one day to our son.

At those who stay home with the women,
Odysseus aimed his swift arrows
returning one day to his son
to complete the cycle again.

Odysseus aimed his swift arrows
never whining or complaining.
To complete the cycle again,
Telemachus brought the bow unstrung.

To complete the cycle;
to complete the cycle, again.