A poem inspired by a long walk in the countryside with my son and dedicated to him. There is no explanation desirable or necessary.
Naked in Mind
You stand beside me naked in mind
As we bare our souls to an invisible crowd
We are not required to represent mankind
So our thoughts need not be spoken aloud
My genes flow within your body’s youth
As those of my father did within mine
Throughout my time I’ve searched for truth
So, to others’ condemnation I will not resign
Whatever I’ve done I’ve done mostly for the best
Accepting, of course, that I’ve often been mistaken
And though I’ve lived my life with habitual zest
My personal ethics were rarely forsaken
Let those who judge me be judged for ever
In some self-made, iniquitous, inquisition
To slight the person, not their deeds, is never
The way to establish a logical position
Let’s agree that were we to relive the past
We would try to live it another way
And that moments of happiness can never last
Just as sunlight fades at the end of day
If from sad times I could exclude you
That would also discard so much of our pleasure
And all that effort might still not preclude you
From the sadness that neither of us now treasure
So let me finish by admitting there are things I regret
And much that should have, but has not, been done
There are things I would dearly prefer to forget
And others that from my memory have gone
I am proud to be the man that brought you life
And to accept responsibility for that creative seed
As I do for our shared joy and strife
Let my naked mind be yours indeed