A Better World

In this issue of our magazine we cover the subject of parents hoping that their children live their lives to the fullest. So it is only fitting to include this poem from James Patrick Kinney, the author of the famous “The Cold Within” and an amazing person, dealing with the age long problem of fathers and sons. You may read our interview with the son of the poet in one of our earlier issues to get the full context of who James Patrick Kinney was. Also, here is the link to poet’s archive on our site. Without further delay, here is the poem:

A BETTER WORLD

I look at my son. I see the hair,
The rebellious attitude, the strange set of values,
The unbending stand which says
I want none of your ways, I spit on your values.
Leave me be. And I am sad.

I see a disregard for life. The riots,
The contempt for law, the hatred
Which feeds on itself and grows
To become a way of life.
I see. I hear. I feel. And I am fearful.

If this were but the limit of my vision,
My life, my very being, would have no meaning.
But I see beyond the irritants, the noise, the confusion.
I see a desire. I hear a cry. I feel a need
For truth. And I am hopeful.

I look at my son as through a veil.
I see love – a love torn between what is and what should be.
I see that he as I may stray far afield.
But I see a concern, a searching mind, a troubled heart.
And I am proud.

I hear his voice above his noise and know
His life, not unlike mine, will be weighed in the
Balance of time. And man in his search for truth
Will sift the chaff from the wheat,
Knowing a better world. And I am thankful.

9/14/70