ancient glaciers
ground rock where
my dad built home
with his friend 
next door and dug
a deep well where
rain collects in
streams far below

today their sons
live side by side
me with city water
he with a generator

and when power fails
for days he gives
me his while i give
him the water

i have two sets of parents
one gave me the hardware while
the other provided software

i never met my hardware dad
he died before i knew i was
adopted but i met my hardware
mom a couple times who said
he made harpsichords and was
crazy fighting things
that were not there at night

my software mom and dad were
Kansas farm people who wanted
kids and were very nice and
normal he worked at Boeing
his whole life and sent me to
college while he could barely
read

i'd like to believe
there is no difference
when you know your hardware
and software separately
but what i truly believe
is what we all have
is a shore and a sea
and we can be all things
that live (around)
or even in between

i went to the doctor today
who told me people don't listen
even when it would help them
people do not do good things
   for themselves
if it requires effort they want
to just have things be right

he told me i take care of myself
i said it must be hard on you
when the teachers are gone
and you must rely on yourself
with nobody to ask and nobody
   to blame
for any mistake you could make
but you must learn so much still

he said he really does learn
every day more and i told him
i thought he was doing great
he said i was doing great too
while we both have no reason
   to doubt
the honesty of the Other established
through trials of open questions
and even the hardest answers given