back shelf of regret

he felt as if in the beat of a heart
his voice was forever silenced
he spoke but no one seemed to listen
he laid down the rules
no one seemed to care
he was asked to give up the master bedroom
his ideas were misunderstood
he visited his kid at school one day
only to find he was no longer there
he explained how the chemical cleansers
caused irritations in his lungs
yet each time the bathroom was cleaned
he could feel the tissue die a little more
he was asked what was on his list
to make his christmas a perfect day
his requests were as always unheard
gifts were of course accepted with proper appreciation
useless as they might have been
he was told with mock sincerity that
everything would be for the better
he saw that change did come
only it was change that brought him down
he came to understand after much pain and empty sorrow
that his presence here was unnecessary
that he was a figurehead and nothing more
a voice that had not been silenced
but one forever ignored
another lesson in the art of love
filed away on the back shelf of regret