the drift

### The Drift

There's an evil effect about growing up  

That seeks to scatter family apart,  

One minute, together, holding hands,  

Ready to die for each other’s heart.

The next, preoccupied in our busy lives,  

Building our own families, making new ties.  

Friendships grow more important, valuable,  

While family becomes less significant, more fragile.

The dragon smiles, shared once a year  

At a funeral of another dear.  

“Oh, I missed you” and “Oh, you’re looking beautiful”  

Sound so pretentious, so unrealistic, so pitiful.

I think the little love left would be saved  

If everyone just kept quiet and behaved.  

Water flows faster, with ease, with grace,  

Compared to blood, which freezes in place.

Memories of when we laughed and played,  

Fade away like springtime clouds at dawn.  

Hearts grow less fond, we drift away,  

It's hard to sacrifice for family today.

We drop everything for friends with ease,  

But family’s needs we neglect and freeze.  

It matters not the good family’s done before,  

In moments of weakness, we scorn and deplore.

Quick to see their mistakes, to name their sins:  

Liars, junkies, failures—where do we begin?  

In their moments of trying, of falling, of tripping,  

We forget the love that was, the bonds slipping.

Have we forgotten how we stood together,  

In Granny's house, through stormy weather?  

When someone broke her favorite vase,  

We united in love, we covered each case.

What went wrong, where did we stray?  

What’s the difference between young love and today?  

Young love is pure, unfiltered, sincere,  

Adult love is guarded, tainted with fear.

Let us remember the times we held dear,  

Let us revive the bonds we once revered.  

For family’s love, though it may seem slow,  

Is the blood that binds, the heart's true glow.