The Apple and the Tree

I’ve often wondered about these phrases
“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”
Or
“The sins of the father are visited upon…”
But now that I have sons, I reflect on it in poetry

My father made his own choices and paid dearly
Just as his father did when he died somewhat young
So, am I destined to make the same mistakes?
Or did I break the cycle, if I may be sharp tongued

I’ve tried to write verses of nurture versus nature
With curses and swears that I would never be that way
I just made brand new mistakes, slip-ups and gaffes
With laughs of insanity that still haunt me to this day

We sometimes pay for what is inherited and implicit
I don’t dwell on their faults or my guilt, what’s the use?
I’ve learned to make peace taking shade under this tree
Because when life gives you apples, you gotta make juice