A unit?

Were we ever?

Does the image lie?

Nuclear family gone nuclear.

Pa’s gone to the realm beyond.

Played around, wasn’t perfect,

But he tried his best.

Mama, a Southern belle,

Had wandering eyes,

Away for long spells,

But did what she could.

Siblings scattered,

Each of us dealing with

Life’s ups and downs

On his own—seldom contacts.

Is the print false?

Photoshopped? Forcefully spliced?

No, not so.

For I remember,

Distant as it may be,

The smiles, the laughter,

The joys, the cries, the pain—

The connections.

This fraying, faded snapshot

Will ever remind me

Of my love

For a clan once in time

That will never fade.