The Ties of Family That Bind
A poem
A poem
The bonds of family, stronger than steel, more intricate than lace.
Forged not in a furnace, but in the crucible of shared history.
Blood may be thicker than water, but it does not always run clear.
Murky with resentment, clouded by hurt,
the currents of family can run deep and dark.
We are tethered to one another, whether we like it or not.
Siblings, parents, children, the roles we play
are both blessing and burden.
We cannot choose our family,
yet they shape us in profound ways.
Their expectations, their judgments, their love
become the warp and weft of our lives.
At times, the fabric of family chafes and constricts,
leaving angry red marks on our skin.
Other times, it wraps us in warmth and comfort,
so we learn to navigate these treacherous waters,
Treading carefully, testing the depth,
trying to find the right balance,
Between embracing the ties that bind
and cutting the threads that strangle.
For the family we’re born into is not the one we get to keep.
We must weave our own cloth,
stitching together the bonds that sustain us.
Threads may fray, knots may come undone,
but the essential pattern endures.
Family, the ties that bind, the scars that heal,
the safety net that catches us when we fall.
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