Hope of Adoption

a poem about family

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Father, mother, sister, brother—
working nets of our DNA—
link flesh and age from then 'till now
so all have roots and divergent splits.

Such bonds delineate yours from mine
to teach and nourish and defend.
Mine to love or perhaps to hate.
Mine to defy or replicate.

And should one cut all ties behind,
the lines in blood ne'er bleach white,
severing ties from that first family
who linked you in and saw you bud.

Adoption, as the case may be,
into a Heavenly family
replaces not the fleshly biology
but makes cold blood run red again

With love that learns and faith that feeds
and truth-filled words that fight and defend
both spirit-sister and flesh-brother.
I call both mine now through hope of adoption.