Photography © Jeannie E. Roberts

 

Hero Worship

I had sworn off booze by an early age, because of the
way my father turned out; I swore that I would never

touch it-

little did I know how wrong that I would be.

By the time he was forty, he had pissed away a fifteen
year marriage, lost his three sons, and lost his fortune

at the greyhound track. In 1986 he was fired at his high
flying job at the military base, he was the boss of 150

civil servants.

He was the smartest man that I had ever known, first
in his Air Force aviation electrician class, at 22 years

of age.

He was a mystery wrapped up tightly within an
enigma, the smarted man that I had ever known.

My dad could answer just about any question Jeopardy
threw his way, Trebek had nothing on him.

I worshiped at my dads altar, and yet, he coldly turned
me away; again and again; he was cold and Germanic-

like his mother, calculating like Mr. Spock from Star
Trek; his mantra “go outside and play.”

His father was an Irishman, warm hearted but slipping
into the throes of what they used to call being “senile.”

My grandfather drove a Cadillac down in Miami, Florida;
not only for the wealthy, but for celebrities like Lucile Ball

and Bob Hope.

I only met him twice in my life, once he visited my
family and proceeded to paint the fence baby
blue, and in-between playing the harmonica

and a mean pair of spoons; he painted the fridge
baby blue too.

But, that was not the first and only time that I
had ever seen my dad say nothing;

and just walk away.

 

Wayne Russell is a poet, rhythm guitar player, singer, artist, photographer, and author of the poetry book Where Angels Fear via Guerilla Genius Press, it is currently available on Amazon, while his second book of poems, Splinter of the Moon was released via Silver Bow Press in January.

Jeannie E. Roberts’ photography appears in online journals, magazines, and print anthologies, including Blue Heron Review, Bramble, and elsewhere. She’s worked as a freelance fashion and professional portrait photographer and serves as a poetry editor for the online literary magazine Halfway Down the Stairs.