Papa
waiting on
food
stood there
staring off
and in the distance
i see this guy
making his way
down the long corridor
he looks like Papa
the Papa i remember
who was heavyset
and walked with a limp
he didn’t need no cane
no walker
no wheelchair
back then
he’d hobble along
just fine
like this guy does
i had the urge
to follow this guy
into the vision center
and tell him
how lucky he is
to be able to walk
such a long distance
without a cane
or a walker
or a wheelchair
to keep on going
no matter what
no matter the aches
and pains
and bad days
to keep hobbling along
‘cause he’s doing just fine
he might not think it now
but if he only knew
how hard it is
to get up from a recliner
steady yourself
and shuffle one foot
in front of the other
to get to the kitchen
… he’d get up
and hobble himself
everywhere
TL
(written Jan. 11, 2022)