I have a tiny family tree
Just my parents and me
& a step brother I never see.

When I was growing up
my parents' travel business
kept us most of the year apart...
so there was no option
but boarding school for me.

No kisses or hugs, no fishing sprees,
no family picnics or cinema eves...
just lots of postcards
and colourful stamps ....
an interesting collection
that helped me keep track
of their whereabouts.

Growing up without a home
turned my heart to stone
'n taught me to stand alone.

I had a taste of family life in my 20s.
To be honest we all felt out of place
but it didn't matter in any case.

My parents, nomads at heart,
soon decided to migrate to sunny Spain,
while I stayed behind with our pets
and that for me was fine.

When my mamma died thirteen years later
my father turned to me and I agreed to live together.
Two strangers at first, in time we got to know each other.
He taught me his carpentry skills
and we passed long winter chills
in front of the fire while he recalled
his many life time adventures.

My parents are back together now and I'm sad
but also very grateful for the brief family life I finally had.