What is this kind of "love" (sonnet)

The third week in a row, he cancels out
On visiting the kids he claims he loves.
What is this kind of "love" he speaks about?
It surely doesn't show in what he does.
He doesn't call them on the telephone.
He calls their mother names and epithets.
He leaves them wondering what they've done wrong,
Wonders why cold shoulders are all he gets.
He leaves them drunken messages to hear,
Assuming they'll know he was "just kidding."
Which does he love more, his kids or his beer?
It's hard to tell by the way he's living.
Why can't he just step on up to the plate
Before they're grown and it is far too late.  

Dear Daddy (collage)

I'll Always Be There (sonnet)

More than once, the thought of your small faces
Has kept me from doing things I'd regret.
I'm much more careful, now, going places --
Visiting memories I can't forget.
Your young lives are intertwined now with mine;
What's good for you matters more than all else.
As your mother, I spend most of my time
Thinking of you, and little of myself.
Each breath I take, I breathe only for you.
My child, you're loved more than you'll ever know.
I may not always choose what's right to do.
I may not always find a way to show
The way my world revolves around your care.
I'm not perfect, but I'll always be there.

Was This the Only Way? (sonnet)

Gut wrenching sobs from the pit of my soul,
I try to stop, but the tears still flow on.
Feels like I'm broken in two, never whole,
All the days since my children have been gone.
I pray, but my prayers bounce right off the wall.
I beg and I plead for God to hear me.
I wish I could protect them from this all,
What I wouldn't give to have them near me.
But God is asleep, or maybe He's deaf,
Or maybe He just simply doesn't care.
I've cried til I haven't any tears left,
But it hasn't gotten me anywhere.
What is it that You're trying to teach me?
Was this the only way You could reach me?