"beautiful"
my
grandmother would tell me
my reply
"not
good ENOUGH"
why did you make me desire
perfection
in every task
every day
of every week of every month of every year
of my life
i
try again
and again and again and
again
over and over
seeking
perfection.
i never achieved perfection
you believed.
award upon award
honor upon honor upon honor
"not good
enough"
"you will never
be
anything"
i'd try again
and again and again and again
your
reply
"not good enough"
i ceased listening to your
insults
have not spoken a word to
you
in almost two decades, yet
i still hear your hollow
voice
day after day after day
and
still i try
again and again and
again
earning degrees and certificates and awards and
recognition
as you earned my tears, my
frustrations, my contempt
still i try
again and again and again
to achieve
perfection
to earn the acceptance a
child is entitled to
from a father
(c)1998 Victoria J.
Scuzzo
