Sam (Glosa Verse)

Dear Mum by Bob Shank

"Do you even know who I am?
Did you ever give a damn?
An abortion might have been better
than your pitiful "Dear Son" letter"

Teenage boy with attitude
daily struggles...poor neighbourhood
many questions inside his head
answers he faces with much dread
found one day abandoned in pram
note pinned to him "My name is Sam"
little mite, only three months old
left alone...so hungry...so cold
mother you obviously didn't give a goddam
"Do you even know who I am?"

Little orphan did it tough
getting into fights, lived life rough
inside he cried but never showed
the pain, the hurt that was bestowed
behind closed doors he would self harm
living life that was a sham
desperately longing for love to be fed
into veins, as he watched, they bled
mother of me...your son Sam
"Did you ever give a damn?"

Growing up...wondering why
you left a note but no goodbye
disappeared...never found
couldn't you have stuck around?
I could have been happy had you stayed put
instead I became a pathetic fretter
I guess I really just need to know
why you left...where did you go?
Did you conscience ever falter, deter?
"An abortion might have been better."

Now you've come back, out of the blue
teased blonde hair, high heel shoes
sent me a card when I turned eighteen
"Happy birthday Son" your mom Kathleen
you can keep your stupid hand- knit sweater
excuses, lies, tears running like tap water
I've survived, don't need you no more
gave up your rights when you walked out the door
after all these years I think I deserve better
"Than you pitiful "Dear Son" Letter."

@Hellon 27th July 2007

(The glosa verse is an early Renaissance form that was developed by poets of the Spanish court in the 14th and 15th centuries. In a glosa, tribute is paid to another poet. The opening quatrain, called a cabeza, is by another poet, and each of their four lines are embedded elsewhere in the glosa. The opening quatrain is followed by four stanzas, each of which is generally ten lines long, that elaborate or "glosses" on the cabeza chosen. Each ending line (10th line) of the four following stanzas is taken from the cabeza. The usual rhyme scheme of a glosa is final word rhyming of the 6th, 9th and the borrowed 10th lines.)

*The author of the cabeza is Bob Shank, a former member and mod of this site. This Glosa was first written in 2007 and I had his permission to use these four lines...I have made some changes to my wording but the original lines remain the same.