My Siblings’ Father

My Siblings’ Father

written by: Judge Burdon

other children feared monsters under their bed
i feared the one living under our roof.
his hair was nimbus black with a storm’s thunder in his voice.
his fists were freight train brown ball bearing knuckles
frostbite blue was his touch with empty icebox eyes
his smile untrusted growling words spoken like tangled spaghetti
he was my mother’s husband my siblings’ father
a childhood of baseballs never thrown
bruises and shattered bones medicated with lies
happiness diluted with tears in a house with screams undetected
when asked what i wanted to be i testified “far from here”
now, fiber optic home front news faceless words
cancer eating away at your life with the fury of a piranha
your disease now my champion fighting with the courage i was unable to muster
your epitaph written in my adolescence while plotting your midnight homicide
again you leave unaccountable for your actions
i’m left to wrestle with the demons
not the strength to forgive my memory too scarred to forget
i’ll keep the battle lines drawn as your monument
let the puzzle piece fall where it may
good bye old man you’ll be missed like a pit vipers bite
your pain can no longer touch me
from the grave.

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Judge Burdon

The Odyssey of Judge Santiago Burdon began in the "City of Big Shoulders," as Sandburg called it in his poem "Chicago." He was born during Mayor Richard Daley's first days in office and Eisenhower's first term as President. His father named him Judge, hoping he would pursue a career in law. He had no idea his son would end up appearing in front of so many. Santiago attended Universities in the United States and abroad, focusing his studies on Victorian Literature and Authors. His short stories and poems have been featured in over two hundred fifty magazines, on-line literary journals, podcasts, and anthologies. He was recognized in Who's Who of Emerging Writers 2020 and again in 2021. Santiago has had 7 books published in the past 3 years: 2 collections of poetry; 'Not Real Poetry' and 'Tequila's Bad Advice Poetry With The Worm,' and 5 books of short stories; 'Stray Dogs and Deuces Wild Cautionary Tales,' 'Quicksand Highway,' 'Fingers In The Fan,' 'Lords of the Afterglow Renegades and Noblemen,' 'Overdose of Destiny Impulse Fiction.' Santiago became a Septuagenarian turning 70 last July. He plans to relocate to Austin, Texas from Costa Rica this winter.

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