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Time Travel

Time Travel

today’s my

dad’s birthday

we only had one together

as I recall

the one before he died

waited all my life to see him again

put college on hold

got on a plane in September

had Halloween in October

turkey in November

Christmas in December

New Years in January

Valentines in February

how would I know

how could I ever know

that’d be The End

think it takes a lifetime

to accept the unacceptable

you don’t ever get over it

when you lose someone

you love

you just live in a different time

and place

but you’re still wearing

his coat, his black coat

‘cause it smells like him

and you wrap your arms around yourself

and pray he’s still alive

you get to the hospital

and he’s there in the bed

looks like he’s asleep

his skin’s still warm

they had to pry me off him

I just lie on the floor

I can’t breathe

it rained all night

I remember it rained all night

picked out a silver casket

a suit for him to wear

a tie I had just bought him for Christmas

I wrote him a letter

and read it aloud at his funeral

I put roses on his grave

and went back to class

‘cause I was in the middle of a semester at UNLV

the professor in my creative writing course

told me he was glad I came back

and didn’t drop the class

he told me how hard it must be

he had no idea

no one did

TL

Published inTamiko Lowery