A Burden on My Family

George Cook 1934 (Lanarkshire)



I wish I didn’t have to be
A burden on my family
But things I used to do before
I cannot do them anymore

Though whether large or whether small
My failings on my family fall
I could maybe do, if they’d ask,
Some small part of a bigger task

But if something needs to be done
They ask for nothing in return
“Thanks very much for that” I say
And in reply comes “That’s OK”

I wish I didn’t have to be
A burden on my family

About this poem

The poem is about old age and how it affects me

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Written on December 01, 2019

Submitted by on June 05, 2022

Modified by on June 07, 2022

27 sec read
15

Quick analysis:

Scheme AAbb ccdd xxee AA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 436
Words 92
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 2

George Cook

I was born, grew up, and worked in Scotland. I got married in July 1960 and migrated to Australia in 1965 under the then Assisted Passage Migration Scheme. For nine years in Scotland, 1956 to 1965, I worked for a large photographic company which also operated in Australia. I worked there until 1994 when I took early retirement. By this time the children had all grown up it gave my wife and I the chance to think about going ‘back home’ to visit relatives and relations. We did in fact have three visits 1998, 1999 and 2000. My wife and I shared our lives and times together for the rest of 58 years and four months when, sadly, my wife passed away in hospital. more…

All George Cook poems | George Cook Books

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1 Comment
  • Dougla$Irishman
    I am the same age as you, born 1934 and depend on my daughter for my needs So I understand the burden we both share. To lose control of one's ability to perform our daily tasks is part of the old age factor !
    So we turn into poets of sorts and try to live on !
    Your poem was heart warming to me !
    I look forward to your next poem about old age !
     
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"A Burden on My Family" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 27 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/128638/a-burden-on-my-family>.

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