I remember hearing for the first time Gil Scott-Heron's song Pieces of a Man, it struck a chord in me. I put it on repeat and listened to it well over thirty times, back to back to back. You see I come from a broken home, my father was a good man, but didn't always make the best decisions. My mother was a strong woman who fought for her man, doing everything in her power to keep our family together. But, my father was possessed by addiction. Yes, for some time of my young life, my father was a junkie, and it cost him his family and his career. I can pour my heart out to all who may read this because I am proud of my father and I love him. My father is a clean and sober man, has been for many, many years now. He is the greatest man I know and I love him dearly with all of his flaws and faults. It would be more than a decade later and through the music of Gil-Scott Heron, that I realized for a long time that my mother was looking at pieces of a man. Broken and shattered was my family, he hardly knew what he was doing, he could hardly understand, my mother, brother and sister were looking at pieces of a man. My father was always such a good man, and he was always such a strong man, but they saw him become broken pieces of a man. My mother continuously swept up the broken pieces of her man, trying in vain to put back together the pieces of her man. As my brother and sister watched our family being broken apart, they could hardly understand that our father had become pieces of a man. At times my father didn't know what he was saying, he could hardly understand that the hateful words coming from his mouth were from his own weak and broken pieces from within that had fallen off. I still remember the day that he left, the day that my mother told me my father was moving out and wouldn't be coming back. As he packed his belongings into his car, he looked at me and I got a glimpse of his his broken spirit. My father realized that my mother could no longer put him back together, unknowingly, I saw my father break apart into pieces of a man. I saw the broken pieces of what I thought was an invincible and unbreakable man... I dedicate this post to my father who has once again become a whole again, the legendary and incomparable Gil Scott-Heron who gave me some understanding. As well as all of the men and women, boys and girls whose families were and are broken because their fathers became pieces of a man......
Monday, May 30, 2011
Pieces of a Man: An Inward Reflection/Perspective of Gil Scott-Heron's Poetry...
Pieces of a Man: An Inward Reflection/Perspective of Gil Scott-Heron's Poetry...
I remember hearing for the first time Gil Scott-Heron's song Pieces of a Man, it struck a chord in me. I put it on repeat and listened to it well over thirty times, back to back to back. You see I come from a broken home, my father was a good man, but didn't always make the best decisions. My mother was a strong woman who fought for her man, doing everything in her power to keep our family together. But, my father was possessed by addiction. Yes, for some time of my young life, my father was a junkie, and it cost him his family and his career. I can pour my heart out to all who may read this because I am proud of my father and I love him. My father is a clean and sober man, has been for many, many years now. He is the greatest man I know and I love him dearly with all of his flaws and faults. It would be more than a decade later and through the music of Gil-Scott Heron, that I realized for a long time that my mother was looking at pieces of a man. Broken and shattered was my family, he hardly knew what he was doing, he could hardly understand, my mother, brother and sister were looking at pieces of a man. My father was always such a good man, and he was always such a strong man, but they saw him become broken pieces of a man. My mother continuously swept up the broken pieces of her man, trying in vain to put back together the pieces of her man. As my brother and sister watched our family being broken apart, they could hardly understand that our father had become pieces of a man. At times my father didn't know what he was saying, he could hardly understand that the hateful words coming from his mouth were from his own weak and broken pieces from within that had fallen off. I still remember the day that he left, the day that my mother told me my father was moving out and wouldn't be coming back. As he packed his belongings into his car, he looked at me and I got a glimpse of his his broken spirit. My father realized that my mother could no longer put him back together, unknowingly, I saw my father break apart into pieces of a man. I saw the broken pieces of what I thought was an invincible and unbreakable man... I dedicate this post to my father who has once again become a whole again, the legendary and incomparable Gil Scott-Heron who gave me some understanding. As well as all of the men and women, boys and girls whose families were and are broken because their fathers became pieces of a man......
I remember hearing for the first time Gil Scott-Heron's song Pieces of a Man, it struck a chord in me. I put it on repeat and listened to it well over thirty times, back to back to back. You see I come from a broken home, my father was a good man, but didn't always make the best decisions. My mother was a strong woman who fought for her man, doing everything in her power to keep our family together. But, my father was possessed by addiction. Yes, for some time of my young life, my father was a junkie, and it cost him his family and his career. I can pour my heart out to all who may read this because I am proud of my father and I love him. My father is a clean and sober man, has been for many, many years now. He is the greatest man I know and I love him dearly with all of his flaws and faults. It would be more than a decade later and through the music of Gil-Scott Heron, that I realized for a long time that my mother was looking at pieces of a man. Broken and shattered was my family, he hardly knew what he was doing, he could hardly understand, my mother, brother and sister were looking at pieces of a man. My father was always such a good man, and he was always such a strong man, but they saw him become broken pieces of a man. My mother continuously swept up the broken pieces of her man, trying in vain to put back together the pieces of her man. As my brother and sister watched our family being broken apart, they could hardly understand that our father had become pieces of a man. At times my father didn't know what he was saying, he could hardly understand that the hateful words coming from his mouth were from his own weak and broken pieces from within that had fallen off. I still remember the day that he left, the day that my mother told me my father was moving out and wouldn't be coming back. As he packed his belongings into his car, he looked at me and I got a glimpse of his his broken spirit. My father realized that my mother could no longer put him back together, unknowingly, I saw my father break apart into pieces of a man. I saw the broken pieces of what I thought was an invincible and unbreakable man... I dedicate this post to my father who has once again become a whole again, the legendary and incomparable Gil Scott-Heron who gave me some understanding. As well as all of the men and women, boys and girls whose families were and are broken because their fathers became pieces of a man......
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