Family of Origin

An adult child of alcoholics (ACOA) poem

It isn’t about fair This for that Some get this some get that Some get the drunk for a dad, some get the preacher There’s nothing fair in longing

It isn’t about balance Moderation and such Do this sometimes, don’t do this other times Some get large families with reunions, birthday parties, some get barely a text There’s nothing balanced in deprivation

It isn’t about plans Trying to make sure things work out How they didn’t before, how you want them to now You cannot plan for your childhood, you cannot plan for the actualities of your life’s path; you know the saying about God’s laugh

It isn’t about deserving Being better, being best, earning it Being good, good enough, some just have, some just get You cannot deserve or not deserve the basic building blocks of life But look around, so many of us are one block short if you know what I mean

It is not about anything any of us did or did not do Maybe our souls reincarnate, maybe we picked this life, these people Maybe we failed to learn lessons in that place before But it is about now that we are us Knowing we can change ourselves for ourselves one day at a time

Jenny Justice is a mom, Sociology instructor, and writer. You can follow her on Medium and at Jenny Justice, Writer, for more insightful articles, essays on empathy and introversion, and all other things nerdy, kind, spiritual, and informative when it comes to education, parenting, kids, culture, poetry, equality, self and social justice. She has been recognized as a top writer on Medium in the categories of poetry, parenting, education, reading, racism and climate change.