'You look like your father'

Mother ~ Gatania (Ruth) Aurelia Tarantino DiCapua (she/her)
Father ~ Kenneth Edgar Gagnon (he/him/his)

Early 1950's,
they were
never happy together
a marriage of necessity,
of convenience,
not destined
for longevity

He a quiet, shy, bookish,
single,
chicken & turkey farmer
in Maryland,
born along
New York's St. Lawrence River,
French-Canadian territory

She, pregnant, out of rebellion
in Connecticutt,
famiglia Italiano,
sent south
to hide the 'shame'
of carrying baby into
the harsh world
where judgement rules

She,
staying with uncle
in DC,
aunt intros her
to him (brother of
her aunt)
soon baby
has daddy.

She wasn't enamored
with chickens
and eggs
and gobblers,
a cow,
rustic living,
talks him into
selling.

He becomes lost,
another daughter born,
a divorce,
then remarried,
give it another try,
and then a son
(the Great White Hope)
named after the
Scotsman,
Robert the Bruce,
'If at first you don't succeed
try, try again'.
They tried,
but they failed again.

The baby Bruce and he
were close in the first
two years,
then the 2nd divorce
and daddy gone,
pushed away by her,
he was lost without
his chicks & eggs.

A cousin exists,
the son of dad's brother,
not really known
to us
due to the traumatic
family separation
that lasted a lifetime.

Late in life
the cousin
befriends
the Scottish-named son.
Always kind and generous
to the Bruce.

Reveals that family is eternal,
despite their different
political views,
one a Trump-ite,
the other a socialist-type,
but bound by their love
of him,
the chicken man.
(Let's all hope that civil war does not come to America and this bond is broken too.)

Both cousins,
having lost their
chance for youthful
exploits,
discover they both
love The Kinks,
so hang outside
back door of
a Boston concert hall
waiting for Ray Davies
who never comes out,
but at last memories
are forged together.

Plus they both love
the Orioles
and venture
to Sarasota together
for spring training.

Cousin finds an old photo,
sends to the Scottish pretender
which triggers
feeling of loss, melancholy
and connection.
Two people say,
'You look alot
like your father'.

I know that dad
and I were close
during those early days
together.

He came to me in a dream,
in the mid-80's,
a knock on my door,
a man hands me a book
and says,
'Your father just died'.

A week later
phone rings,
a woman (married to him
during his last seven years)
says,
'Your father died
a week ago in Tucson,
please come and get his things'.

In Germany in the mid-60's
I felt his presence
while playing a lonely
game of basketball
on the school playground.
I stopped
looked around
felt him nearby,
but he was gone.

Cousin remembers
dad crying when mom left him,
taking the 3 kids away.
A note was left along with
his car keys,
'I'm going away,
Bobbie (his brother),
you take my car.'
Never to be seen
again,
except in my dreams.

Bruce (impersonating a Scotsman, why not to be named Mario, Angelo, Rene or Marcel?)