A Poem for Pop

A Poem for My Stepfather who always stood by me

Your seed was not planted in the womb that bore me
Yet, that does not make you any less my real father
Nor does it make me any less your loving son
Nobody besides us will ever really know or understand
That love that comes from someone who is not blood
A love that comes from the spirit within, breaks boundaries
You never abandoned me despite all the trouble I wrought
Whilst the seeds that I planted left us and blew far away
Still, the things you taught, kindness, humility and hard work
Stay with me now and make me who I am now as a man
Not who I was as so many prefer it seems to remember
My black sheep of youth and rogue of the Highlands
Our story is for us, just you and I, to reflect and to cherish
Father, I am grateful for all you have done over these long years
Despite being so far away in my wife’s Slavic war torn lands
Never will you leave my heart even when you do depart
For I am a son, molded and shaped by your hands
Who will always water the seed beyond body you planted in me