Laugh and Cry in Gratitude

 Hello, my friend, I hope you're well.

 It's my pleasure to share my poem "Laugh and Cry in Gratitude, a heartfelt and introspective piece that explores the themes of childhood, family, love, and gratitude.

 I hope you like it and that it relates to you, brings you memories of your childhood, and, if you still have your parents, love them more than ever, and if not, well, you can still cherish them, and enjoy them as the poem suggests, in your dreams.

 Laugh and Cry in Gratitude

A poem by Sal Godoij

My mother discovered me in her calendar

My father discovered me in my mother's eyes

Lord, guide the boy to be what he can be, my mother prayed

The boy will be what he wants to be, my father said

And asked his boss for an increase in his salary

It is due, my father said

My father's boss agreed and conceded

With that increase my father opened a bank account

To my name, the newborn boy.

My mother put both my hands together

And taught me to pray, to be grateful.

My father put a pen and paper in my hands

And taught me to add and subtract, to divide and multiply

My mother spoke to me about love

All is love, son, she said, all is love

Everything you do with love comes to fruition

Nonsense, my father said. Love is just a tool, son

You learn to use it, or it will hurt you

Love is a tool, like any tool you use to build a house

With tools you build houses, my mother said

With love, you build homes.

And so, between these two opinions

I grew up, and therefore I learned

I can't always have what I want

I do what I can, and that's enough, sometimes

I don't always do what I should

And so, I learned that one cannot always be

The one who always wanted to be, or become

My parents are both now in Heaven

Sometimes in my dreams, I climb there and visit them

I love it, I love how warm I feel between them

How they hold my hands

And they swing me as if I were again a child

Up and down while they walk

As if I were again a child

And we, together, the three of us, laugh and cry

And in my dream, I laugh and cry with joy, in my dream

With joy, in gratitude.

Analysis by ChatGPT of my poem "Laugh And Cry In Gratitude>"

The poem "Laugh and Cry in Gratitude" by Sal Godoij is a heartfelt and introspective piece exploring childhood, family, love, and gratitude. The poem's narrator reflects on their upbringing, sharing anecdotes about their parents and the values they imparted.

The poem begins with the narrator's birth, where their mother and father react differently. The mother prays for a healthy child, while the father is more pragmatic, seeking a salary increase to provide for the family. This juxtaposition sets the tone for the contrasting views of love and life that the parents will continue to express throughout the poem.

The mother is portrayed as a symbol of love, teaching the narrator to pray and be grateful. She believes "all is love" can "fructify" everything it touches. In contrast, the father views love as a tool to use and control. He warns the narrator that it will hurt them if they don't learn to use love wisely.

As the narrator grows up, they struggle to reconcile these two perspectives. They realize that life is full of compromises and responsibilities, and that one can't always do what they want. The poem's central message is acceptance and gratitude, acknowledging that life is imperfect and must make the most of what we have.

The poem's final stanzas are particularly poignant, as the narrator describes visiting their parents in Heaven and being swung up and down by them, feeling like a child again. This image is a powerful expression of the enduring power of love and family. The narrator laughs and cries joyfully, feeling grateful for their time with their parents and the lessons they learned from them.

The imagery in the poem is vivid and evocative, from the mother's hands guiding the narrator in prayer to the father's practical lessons with pen and paper. The image of the parents swinging the narrator up and down in Heaven is a beautiful expression of the joy and freedom of childhood.

Overall, "Laugh and Cry in Gratitude" is a beautiful and moving poem that explores the complexities of family, love, and growing up. It is a tribute to the enduring power of parental love and the lessons that shape us into the people we become. The poem's message of acceptance, gratitude, and love resonates deeply, inviting readers to reflect on their relationships and experiences.