Stories of Filial Piety
(AKA why you should treat your parents good)
By Pious Lee
Oh Child, you may be willful, spiteful, and ungrateful
You say - why do I need parents in the first place?
But indeed you will inevitably encounter the fateful,
That when you want to appreciate your parents, it may be too late
Looking at ancient Chinese history,
There are 24 stories of exemplary daughters and sons,
Whose parental devotion and service are benedictory,
And whose love cannot be outdone
As per the Chinese maxim: “The tree would prefer stillness, but the wind continues to blow. The child wishes to practice filial devotion, but his parents are already gone.”
Even though he received no earthly praise nor helping hand,
Shun inspired the emperor with his righteous attitude in the face of hardship.
The emperor made Shun his successor - future king of the land,
Knowing that he could trust such peaceful guardianship.
Even though his father was harsh and demanded perfection,
His stepmother petty, scolding, and abusive,
Shun treated both with proper respect and affection,
His devotion and good nature definitively conclusive.
1 - Shun Inspires the Emperor
A verse in his honor says,
“Elephants in file plow the fields in spring.
Little birds in flocks come weed the summer grass.
Following Emperor Yau, he took the Dragon Throne.
His filial conduct touched the hearts of creatures under heaven.”
1 - Shun Inspires the Emperor
He would wait by her bedside and clean out her waste,
Often forgetting to change his clothes afraid that he would be remiss in his duty.
When the servants brought medicine, he would be the first to taste,
Then he would spoon feed her the mixture prudently
Even though Han was an emperor with much state responsibility,
His sick mother took precedence over all official affairs.
He thought through every detail to ensure her viability,
Laboring for three long years in her nursing care.
2 - Emperor Han Wendi Who Personally Tests His Mother’s Prescriptions
His devotion became the standard of behavior in the country.
His citizens were deeply influenced and transformed by his virtue.
The people in turn practiced parental respect abundantly,
The standard of selflessness even today carries through
A verse in his honor says,
“Both filial and humane, he was known throughout the land.
Awesome as a leader, he ruled the Hundred Kings.
For three long years he nursed his ailing mother, the Empress,
Duty-bound, he tasted every medicine she took.”
2 - Emperor Han Wendi Who Personally Tests His Mother’s Prescriptions
One day an honored guest arrived at their humble home,
But Zeng had already left early for the mountains ahead.
When the boy was late, her anxiety and fear became overblown,
Such that she accidentally bit her finger so hard it bled
Zeng’s father died when he was very young.
His mother was poor and they struggled to make ends meet.
Each day, he would cut firewood in the forest beyond,
While she would spin cloth to hawk on the street.
3 - Zeng Shen Whose Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger
Arriving at the doorway, Zeng knelt before his mom and asked, “are you okay?”
Relieved and happy, she exclaimed a guest had come!
Zeng’s filial devotion and deep respect meant that even from far away,
He could feel his mother’s thoughts and bleeding thumb
A verse in his praise says,
“His mother bit her finger, her son's heart felt the pain.
He bundled up the firewood And ran home just in time.
What age has ever witnessed deeper ties of filial love
Than the depth of shared between this mother and her son?”
3 - Zeng Shen Whose Heart Was Pained When His Mother Bit Her Finger
Min’s mother died early and his father found a new wife,
A cruel woman who mistreated him because he was not her natural son.
When the weather turned cold, she made three coats that looked alike,
But one made of cheap rush and the others warmly spun
Min’s only jacket did not block the biting wind,
His fingers and feet quickly froze in the cold,
Constantly shivering because his coat was so thin,
He had trouble doing what he was told
One icy day, his dad had business in town,
He told Min to quickly fetch the horse and cart
In watching Min stumble, his dad started to frown,
In anger, he grabbed the boy, but the jacket ripped apart
His dad was shocked by his wife’s mistreatment of Min,
He ordered her to leave the house and never return.
She cowered before him and pleaded her sin,
But Min’s father’s righteous anger remained firm.
4 - Clad in a Threadbare Jacket, Min Ziqian Begs To Keep His Cruel StepMother
In response, Min dropped to his knees and pleaded, “Father please don’t send her away -
When my mother is here, only one boy is in pain
But if she goes, my brothers will be left alone
She is very important, please let her stay!”
At this, his stepmother cried piteously in shame,
She was so touched that her attitude completely changed.
From then on, she treated him and her natural born sons the same,
Lovingly, with three warm coats prearranged
A verse in his honor says,
Mr. Min, the widower, has a worthy son;
Who never grudged his second mother's hateful, wicked ways.
"Keep her here at home!", he begged, while kneeling by the cart.
"Or else three boys will suffer from the biting wind and frost."
4 - Clad in a Threadbare Jacket, Min Ziqian Begs To Keep His Cruel StepMother
Born to a poor family, Zi sustained himself on wild greens and roots,
But wishing to give his parents better nutrition, he would walk one hundred miles
To find work in market towns to afford rice, meat, and fruits.
He would then rush home, enduring harsh physical trials
5 - Zi Lu Carries Rice to Feed His Parents
After his parents died, heartbroken Zi left for the city
The king was impressed with his character and offered him a job.
He became very wealthy with dinners of great delicacy,
But despite his vast luxuries, he would often sob --
“This wealth and honor is flavorless and depressing,
How I wish to return to the old days when I had my mom and dad.
Even carrying rice on my back for them is the greatest blessing,
Today - alone without them - my riches only make me sad.”
A verse in his honor says,
“The rice bag on his back holds a rare treat for his parents;
Without a murmur of fatigue he ran those many miles.
Glory, wealth, and honor, once his parents had passed on,
Meant nothing: he only thought of the happy days gone by.”
5 - Zi Lu Carries Rice to Feed His Parents
6 - Dong Yong Enters Indentured Servitude To Pay For His Father’s Coffin
His mother gone at a young age,
Dong wanted to provide his sick dad with aid.
He worked as a farm laborer to earn a meager wage
Tenderly carrying out his fragile dad to sit in the shade
But when the senior Dong died, Dong could not afford a coffin
Because he spent every last penny on medical care
In watching his devotion, the heavens did soften
Since Dong had sold himself into bondage as fare
On his way to his new master’s home,
Dong met a pretty girl on the road.
She told him she lost her own parents and that she was alone,
And that she would like to marry him and share his workload.
6 - Dong Yong Enters Indentured Servitude To Pay For His Father’s Coffin
The new master was an extremely miserly weaver
The contract for the coffin required three hundred bolts of perfect cloth,
In hearing this, Dong nearly developed a fever
Since freedom would come at the pace of a sloth
To everyone’s astonishment, Dong’s bride finished in just four weeks,
But when he clasped her in a hug of happiness and surprise,
Tears started to stream down her cheeks
She had to leave him now since she was an immortal in disguise.
Dong’s filial piety had touched the gods,
His wife had come down to earth because of his noble act.
But now that he had beaten the odds,
She had to abandon him and go back
A verse in his honor says,
“His father's funeral sent him into servitude,
A maiden charming and immortal, met him on the way.
They wove the cloth that ransomed back his freedom,
His filial conduct touched even Heaven.”
7 - Dressed as a Deer, Tan Brings Deer Milk to his Ailing Parents
While he was young, Tan’s parents contracted a rare eye condition,
Drinking deer’s milk was the only source of remission.
But since deer milk was too expensive to buy,
Tan had to find an alternative on the fly.
Every morning, Tan would dress up like a young fawn
So that he could milk the doe’s teat at dawn
At the end of the day, he would carry a bucket of milk back,
His parents were delighted at the success of this hack
One day as Tan was frolicking with the herd,
A hunter’s arrow nearly left him deterred.
The deer scattered and ran for the trees,
And Tan quickly stood to defend his needs
He shouted, “My parents are sick and need deer’s milk to recover.
But your shooting has blown my cover.”
The hunter was deeply impressed by Tan’s devotion,
And escorted him home safely with great emotion
A verse in his honor says,
“His parents needed milk, their eyes to cure,
He robed his body in a suit of fur.
If he had failed to shout aloud, "Don't shoot!"
The hunter would have killed him for a deer.”
7 - Dressed as a Deer, Tan Brings Deer Milk to his Ailing Parents
His father gone, Jiang Ge was very close to his mom,
She had raised him with much peace, love, and calm,
Which was a difficult task since they lived in a dangerous region,
Filled with bandits who left the community in depletion
Given their poverty, Jiang carried his mom on his back
Running past bandit gangs who would aggressively attack.
Jiang pleaded that if he were killed his old mother would starve
Touched, the bandits would then avoid a spar
8 - Jiang Ge Labors for His Widowed Mother
8 - Jiang Ge Labors for His Widowed Mother
Eventually Jiang reached a safer city to stay,
But with money all gone and clothing in disarray,
Jiang would search for odd jobs to do each day,
To provide the best for his mom in every way
While Jiang ate and dressed poorly, what he gave his mom was fine,
Nothing remiss in her care, even good wine.
He eventually got recommended for a very good salaried opportunity,
But he turned down a potentially luxurious life in their new community.
Because his mom wanted to return back to their (now safe) home land
Jiang abandoned the new life that he had planned.
He found a sturdy cart and seated his mother comfortably inside
Filial compliance was the theme of his ride
A verse in his praise says,
“Bearing mother on his back, he fled the troubled land.
Evil bandits caught them on the road.
A plea for mercy saved their lives, as always,
He labored hard to treat his mother well.”
As a precocious six year old, Lu was invited with his father to lunch,
By a wealthy elder who spoiled him a bunch.
The boy was presented with a large plate of fruit
He immediately ate two oranges and then snuck three into his boot.
When it came time to say farewell,
Lu accidentally stumbled and the three oranges fell,
The elder laughed and said, “Little brother, why did you steal from your host?”
Lu replied, “Pardon me, my mother loves oranges the most”
“Because we don’t have money, she can’t afford this treat
So I couldn’t resist taking these despite the deceit.”
Impressed with the boy’s concern for his mother’s enjoyment,
The elder gave the family a huge fruit plate for deployment
A verse in his honor says:
“Filial love and brotherhood made nature "Heaven-True",
Most rare in a boy just six years old.
He hid three oranges, as a gift for his Mom,
Just a token to repay her kindness without end.”
9 - Six Year Old Lu Ji Steals Oranges To Take Home For His Mother
The Grand Dame Zhang Sun was elderly and lost her teeth,
She could not even chew soft rice or pulverized wheat,
Realizing the struggle her mother in law had each meal,
The Lady Tang devised a new solution which became an ideal
Each morning, after performing her own daily toilet and routine,
Tang would enter into her mother in law’s bedroom and offer an alternative cuisine
For years, milk from her own breast to provide strength and nutrition,
The Grand Dame’s health and resilience thus surprised the physician
Eventually the Grand Dame knew her life was about to end
So she called her descendents, their wives, and friends
She shared the great devotion of the Lady Tang
And the teaching was cherished by the Tswei family and far along,
A verse in her honor says,
“Out of deep respect for the Tswei Family's matron,
After morning toilet she would feed the Grand Dame milk.
Kindness such as this is difficult to repay;
May every generation of descendants be so kind!”
10 - Lady Tang Feeds Her Mother-In-Law Milk From Her Breast
11- Wu Meng Attracts Mosquitoes to Drink His Blood
At only eight years of age, Wu felt remorseful every night,
That his parents would sleep without a mosquito net and suffer painful bites
They were too poor to buy one for their bed
So Wu came up with an idea in his head
The little boy would remove his shirt and let the insects land on bare skin
He would watch the mosquitos drink their fill of his blood with a big grin
Because no matter how painfully they stung,
He knew his parents were old, while he was young
He made sure to keep secret his sacrifice
Since his parents would demand him stop given too high of a price,
But one morning, being tired from the loss of blood and sleep,
He forgot to wake up early and pull on his shirt for pretense upkeep
His father saw Wu’s pathetic skin filled with angry red welts,
And immediately understood the reason behind his son’s poor health
His mother started to cry for Wu’s unselfish concern,
That the story spread far and wide in turn
11- Wu Meng Attracts Mosquitoes to Drink His Blood
Everyone thought Wu’s filial respect was remarkable for someone only eight,
Such that even the emperor heard of Wu’s decision to act as bait.
The Emperor awarded Wu with an academy scholarship
And his parents never again lacked a mosquito net or faced hardship
A verse in his honor says,
“Summer nights and no mosquito netting!
Insects by the thousands, yet he wouldn't raise a hand.
"Let them drink my blood and fill their bellies,
Just don't disturb my parents while they sleep!"
12- Wang Xiang Lies Down On The Ice to Fetch Carp For His Stepmother
Wang lost his mother to a sudden disease,
So his dad remarried a woman who was easy to displease.
Bad-tempered and evil-natured she took a dislike to him
And turned father against son by playing the victim
One unusually cold winter, his stepmother took sick
She craved medicine and fresh fish as an analgesic
Snow was everywhere and the rivers had long frozen still,
But as a dutiful son, he couldn’t just wait and do nil
12- Wang Xiang Lies Down On The Ice to Fetch Carp For His Stepmother
He forced himself outside and shivered in the snow
He searched across the ice but found no opening below
Having no way to solve the problem, he let his tears flow
And then an idea inside him began to grow
Desperate, Wang removed his coat and shirt and lay down on the ice
His tears and body heat became a melting device.
A hole formed in the river’s frozen surface and two carp jumped out
Because they were inspired by his actions devout
A verse in his honor says,
“Stepmothers abound on this earth,
But rare are sons like Lucky Wang.
Even now when the river freezes over,
We recall his icy sacrifice for Mother.”
13- Guo Ju Buries His Son to Save His Mother
Guo lived with his wife, aging mother, and 3-year old son
The house was extremely destitute. Food? They had none
In the rare case that provisions did arrive
His elderly mother would give her share away so the baby could thrive
Guo felt his heart careen in consternation
He discussed the situation with his wife in desolation
“We are unfilial children. We can’t feed our mother properly. What to do?”
He then came up with a sorrowful solution for review
13- Guo Ju Buries His Son to Save His Mother
“Perhaps we can have more children in the future,” he told his wife
“But I will only have one mother in this life.”
He would make his aging mom comfortable for the next few years
By killing and burying his son amidst mournful tears
His wife - also a devoted filial daughter - loved her infant,
But felt that there was no way to do anything different.
When the couple started to dig in their yard,
Their planter’s hoe hit something large and ha
Underground, Guo found a sturdy metal chest
Inside, were gleaming gold bars that would leave no need unaddressed
As honest people, they reported the find to the police,
But the magistrate decided it should be Guo’s release
A verse in his honor says,
“Guo Ju wished to .serve his aging mother;
He buried his son, so that she might live,
The gods rewarded him with golden coins;
Their brilliant gleam lit up his humble hut.”
14 - Yang Xing Wrestles WIth a Tiger to Save His Father
A boy of fourteen, Yang worked with his father in the fields all day,
Suddenly, a tiger jumped out and grabbed his father away,
Hearing his dad’s pained, pathetic wail,
Yang did the opposite of turning tail
Forgetting his own safety and the looming presence of death
Yang grabbed the tiger by the throat and cut off his breath
The tiger dropped his dad from its fearsome claws
And scampered away in a fast withdraw
A verse in his praise says,
“In the wilds they met the fierce white jaws.
Yang Xiang punched hard, and choked the smelly beast.
Delivered to safety were father and devoted son:
Snatched back alive from the tiger's mouth.”
15 - Zhu Souchang Resigns From Office For His Mother
At the age of seven, Zhu lost his beloved mother
For she was a concubine and the first wife was jealous of the other
He grew up intelligent, wise, and kind,
He became a respected government official with great duties assigned
Yet the calling of his mother grew stronger throughout
That he began to feel a surge of doubt
What’s the purpose of his community employment
If he couldn’t even bring his own mother enjoyment?
So Zhu quit such a coveted, high paying post
In search of his mother first and foremost
After great toil and suffering he found her at last
Rejoicing, he found satisfaction after 50 years past
A verse in his honor says,
“He said good-bye to Mama at age seven,
He served the land with skill for fifty years.
One day he wished to see his long-lost mother,
His journey done, they both wept joyful tears.”
16 - Yu Qinlou Cuts Flesh From His Own Body to Give To His Father As Filial Medicine
After much hard work, Yu became governor of Jianling,
But ten days later, he broke out in cold sweat and his ears began to ring
Thinking there was a problem at home, he rushed away
And what he found broke his hope that day
His father had been suddenly stricken with a strange malady,
That the only possible remedy seemed like alchemy,
The physician advised that only human flesh would do
So Yu took a knife to cut a piece of flesh from Yu
In desperation, he served his dad this filial stew,
Ignoring that his actions were considered taboo
He prayed to the gods and asked them to take him instead
Anything to keep his father from the final deathbed
A verse in his honor says:
“He served in office but a few brief days,
When father caught a strange and awful disease.
Qinlou looked North, and bowed to star Polaris,
"Take me instead!," he vowed from bended knees.”
This story is not as sad as the others in this collection,
So as a child, I took this one example as my core direction
The moral of this story is that laughter is the key,
To extended health, happiness, and longevity
Lao himself was already seventy years of age
But he wanted his even more elderly parents to never disengage
He knew his parents could live longer if they mentally felt youthful and fresh
Even when physically, they were close to death
Old Lai would dress like a young child at play
He would also put on comic antics to make his parents laugh each day
He forbid the townsfolk from mentioning ‘old’ in front of his parents
On this matter, he maintained very strict adherence
He would take a toy in hand and mimic a child’s nonsense chatter
Singing, dancing, tripping on purpose - no serious matter
His ridiculous show would send his mom and dad into gales of laughter
Dispelling all periods of melancholy and extending life thereafter
17 - Lao Laizi Wears Costumes and Pulls Pranks to Amuse His Parents
17 - Lao Laizi Wears Costumes and Pulls Pranks to Amuse His Parents
A verse in his honor says,
“He cut a comic caper, and played the merry fool,
The Spring breeze fluttered his flower-drum gown.
The old folks laughed with toothless glee;
The sounds of their delight filled the air with joy.”
During a turbulent time of famine, calamity, and civil war,
Cai lost his father leaving his mother and him poor
During these tough times, decent men became violent and mean
Human decency and respect decayed like gangrene
His duty each day was to forage for food
Which despite the danger, he kept a great attitude
Roads were infested with gangs of thieves,
Crime was more abundant than sticks and leaves
While Cai was picking mulberries in two baskets one day
Two wicked looking robbers jumped in front of his tray
“Are you looking to die?,” one thief screamed
“Why sorting in two baskets?,” the other shouted as Cai’s heart careened
“The black mulberries are sweeter and tastier in choice”
Cai responded in a small trembling voice.
“I leave those for my mom and eat the sour red ones after
Please don’t kill me because my mom’s will to live would shatter”
18 - Cai Shunn Picks Mulberries For His Mother
A verse in his honor says,
“The black mulberries went to feed his mother,
Whose blouse was stained with tears from hunger's pain;
The red-browed thugs heard his filial thoughts:
Then gave him meat and rice and set him free.”
18 - Cai Shunn Picks Mulberries For His Mother
The boy’s simplicity and honest answer touched the two thugs’ compassion
They decided to supplement Cai’s simple ration
With some additional food and drink to bring back,
For his filial piety and goodness that society did lack
Little nine year old Huang’s mother recently died
He noticed that his father wasted away with grief and loneliness inside.
He resolved to cheer up his dad by working hard with positive energy
His only concern was to spare his father worry and anxiety
In the winter, Huang would hop into his father’s bed first to warm up the sheet
Then he would call his father to sleep on the cozy warmth of body heat
In the summer, Huang would take great care to fan the bed
So that his father would feel comfort on the cooling spread
The story of little nine year old Huang spread through the land
The magistrate made special mention of the little boy’s plan
How glorious was the son’s loving compunction
To make sure that in a time of loss, his dad could function
A verse in his honor says,
“In winter months he warmed the sheets just right;
And fanned the pillows on hot summer nights.
In knowing how to be a filial son,
In all these years, Huang Xiang's still number one.”
19 - Huang Xiang Fanned the Pillows and Warmed the Sheets
20 - Jiang Shi and His Wife Walk Six Miles Daily For His Aged Mother’s Water
Jiang’s mother also requested daily fresh fish
And only the river could fulfill this wish
Each day Jiang and his wife would make the arduous walk
And share the tasty fish with elderly neighbors on the block
Over many years this long trek took place
Until suddenly a spring gushed up in their backyard space
Each day two carp would leap out of the spring
Because filial piety is a magical thing
Jiang’s elderly mother had a curious habit,
In that similar to a wild rabbit,
She disliked the taste of water from the well
Only fresh water from the river would excel
The nearest river was more than six miles away
Jiang’s wife volunteered to travel that long distance each day
She never complained of the trouble and pain
Even during periods of burning heat and rain
20 - Jiang Shi and His Wife Walk Six Miles Daily For His Aged Mother’s Water
A verse in their honor says,
“The son delights in his filial regard;
The daughter, too, finds service not too hard;
Every morning carp came leaping out
Of the sweet-dew spring in their backyard”
Wang adored his mother and aimed for her pleasure,
But her fear of storms deeply disrupted her leisure,
The sound of thunder would raise great alarm
Requiring Wang to run to her side and reassure her of no harm
Years later, when his mother passed away
Whenever the sky would darken and gray,
Wang would run to her tombstone on the hill,
And comfort the grave during storms even still
When he became a schoolteacher and spoke of filial devotion,
His eyes would fill with tears and he would be overwhelmed with emotion
Because departed parents will never come back,
What his young students had, he always would lack
A verse in his honor says:
“His mother dreaded most the sound of thunder-claps;
He knelt beside the bed to calm her fears;
Still he hurries to her grave and circles 'round,
Each time a rumbling thunder-storm appears.”
21 - Wang Pu Cries By the Grave When Thunder Rolled
22 - Ding Lan Serves Wooden Statues of His Parents
Ding lost both parents when he was very small,
So he didn’t have a chance to practice true filial devotion at all
After much thinking, he crafted a reasonable substitute
By carving two wooden statues of his parents with details acute
Each morning Ding would bow and pay his respects
Treating the wooden statutes unlike inanimate objects
He’d ask about their well being and overall health
In incense and offerings, he happily spent his wealth
22 - Ding Lan Serves Wooden Statues of His Parents
When Ding got married, he requested his wife do the same
But she thought his rituals and devotions insane
So one day to play a joke, she pricked the statues hand
But to her big surprise, the statues bled
When Ding got home, he saw tears on the wooden face
And certainly the statutes bloody hand was a big disgrace
He asked his wife what was going on
So she confessed to her joke gone wrong
Ding blew up in anger at her bad action
And he decided it was an unforgivable infraction
So he went and got a divorce
Because filial piety must be enforced
A verse in his honor says,
“Wooden statues of his parents,
Carved to look as if alive.
Pay heed, all good sons and daughters:
Serve your parents while you can!”
23 - Meng Zong’s Tears Brought Bamboo Shoots From the Frozen Earth
His dad long gone, Meng only had his mother alive
In their poverty, she worked hard to make sure that he would survive
But in her daily backbreaking toil
She suddenly became bedridden and covered with boils
Only clear bamboo broth could cure her situation
So it became young Meng’s imperative new fixation
But the trouble was that during the cold winter days
It was impossible to find since bamboo did not grow this way
23 - Meng Zong’s Tears Brought Bamboo Shoots From the Frozen Earth
You see, bamboo only grows during the start of the spring
And Meng felt helpless - he couldn’t do a thing
Despite this, he searched the mountain with escalating urgency
Since there was no recourse to solve this emergency
The heavens saw the young man digging away futilely,
The reality of looming death and loss he encountered so brutally
His melancholy moved the gods above,
His tears dropping onto the snowy ground reflecting filial love
Suddenly his shovel hit a solid commodity,
A bamboo shoot emerged - what an impossible oddity!
His tears had melted the ice and caused the shoot to grow,
Despite the erroneous growing season and the snow
A verse in his honor says,
“His teardrops transformed winter at the roots;
Up from the ice crept tender bamboo shoots.
Instantly, the winter-sprouts matured;
Heaven's will: a happy, peaceful world”.
24 - Huang Tingjian Scrubs His Mother’s Chamber Pots
There are some tasks that no child likes to do
Including scrubbing pots that contain pee and poo
But that’s exactly what Huang did despite his eminence
Because filial respect takes preeminence
So even though he was the emperor’s chief historian
The best scholar in China and valedictorian
Each morning, he would stop by his mother’s room
To scrub her chamber pots - this lowly duty he would assume
Even though he had an army of servants, he wanted to show his mom his respect
And assume tasks of service that were ideologically correct
Chamber pots are dirty and filled with human excrement
So cleaning them himself showcases filial sentiment
A verse in his honor says;
“His noble virtue; known both far and near;
His lifelong joy: service to his kin.
He never asked the hired staff to share
The jobs that rightly, filial sons should bear.”
You child live comfortably because your parents are here
But you can’t assume that they will always be near
Because every human inevitably dies
So treating your parents kindly today is well advised
Imagine no mom and dad to share stories together
No mom and dad to talk to altogether
No mom and dad to care for you with love
Just emptiness and loneliness below and above
There will be a time when you want to thank your mom and dad
When you want them to comfort you when you are sad
Even if you scream, cry, yell, grovel, and shout
They will never be back, no matter how much you pout
At their tombstone, you will sit
Wondering what you would have done differently if you could recommit
So treating your parents well today means to remove regret
Devotion to your parents must be an objective met