A man loses his father
and adulthood begins
Bathwater draining
the baby within

A son who is sireless
new destiny’s child
Whose choice is to run
or to stand and beguile

Alone with his memories
one image sustains
The voice but a whisper
its spirit reclaimed

To carry the title
his lineage holds
A surname retendered
—new history untold

(The New Room: July, 2023)