"Rite of Passage"
by Anthony Roberts
Daughter I promised you
that your life would be different than mine
that you could walk into the store
without catching the wary eye
of the “loss prevention specialist”
So today in SoHo, you get to be you
Your head high as you walk streets
where you have laid claim to a future
this time, unlike the last
you wore flats
the future should be comfortable
Looking at my own feet
the concrete beneath them
how many miles of city streets
have I walked to get to this point
where I am about to surprise you
Inside the man you call Dad still resides
the kid who embraced punk
the kid who found within it the fact
that not fitting in is not the same as not belonging
when you’re a piece in the wrong puzzle
The baggy hooded eyes that scan the world around us as we walk
the short hair of a Soldier, the poet’s dress
are perhaps camouflage I learned to wear
as I began my own progress
toward inevitable responsibility
the telltale sign of what I was is what remains
the Docs on my feet
8 eye 1460s
unchanged from my first pair
that decades ago were a prized possession
Seen by the guy in the store
who notes their care and their wear
asks if I’m looking for another pair
but today we’re here for you
Finding what you want
with soles that will make you
almost equal to my 73” height
smiling as you try them on
boots are different than flats
you can walk across rougher terrain
And you will have to
in a world where some will still
not see you as an equal
I trust you will make
weak men pay for the mistake
of not knowing how you were raised
“Do they fit? These are the ones you want?”
“Yes”
I reach for my wallet
“I can pay for them”
“I know, Merry Christmas”
Daughter I promised you
that your life would be different than mine
so walk with confidence
dance with abandon no matter who is watching
the world is a mosh pit at times
and now you have the boots for it
Anthony Roberts is a veteran of Baltimore and Afghanistan. He currently lives in New Jersey in a home with beautiful views and interlocking fields of fire.
He is the author of Pigtown and The Clearing Barrel.
You can follow him here.
Learn more about Veterans Repertory Theater here. Listen to the Savage Wonder podcast here.