The Eyes of the Tiger

He had been intimidated
By his father
As long as he could remember.
The man was like a tiger,
Fierce, cold and aloof,
Distant and foreboding,
And his son could
Neither look him
Straight in the eye,
Nor speak openly
In his presence.
It was not until
The son was himself a man
That he had the courage
To communicate directly
With his dad.
He wrote his father
A ten page letter
Saying all the things
He had been withholding,
Never expecting a reply.
His father wrote back
Telling how much he loved
And respected his son,
Saying things neither had ever
Expressed before.
With the ice broken,
The son could freely
Gaze into his father’s eyes,
And observe the love
He thought was missing.
Though in their culture,
Fathers and sons
Almost never do
Anything together,
The two became best friends,
Enjoying each other’s company
In whatever they did.