Father Mine

My father was a polished man
Dapper at dinner, filled with charm
Regaling us with glories past
Riding the rails in hard times
He came to the Sunshine State
A local paper in the cards
That failed, though, to circulate
He told us that it must be fate
 
He made it to Tinseltown
And landed a well-paying gig
Editing haphazard scripts
A plush office, and respect
Aide with ear glued to the phone
Colleagues that loved him to the bone
 
He still hit the bottle, and it broke
And he was demonic every night
The family quailed in the den  
Not sure the level of his ire
The heights to which his anger grew
The lows when he would come to blows
Wife terrified in the bedroom
And this one child left in the dark
Hearing wrath, and fear was stark
 
Father grew sober by the end
The gentleman of long ago
Emphysema took a fatal toll
But his mind finally content
Forgiveness for a thousand slights
The triumphs and failures of his life
All the absurdity of family ploys
The delusions, hatreds and their joys