Dear Dad,
once a year
I open the latches
on the suitcase
I carry
and take out the albums
and turn the pages
the man I remember
is there
the child I was
looks back at me
there are no baby pictures
just an orphan shot
of a toddler
standing in black and white
then sitting beside you
on an airplane
headed home
new photos would fill the frame
in color
those early years
while only a handful
would live inside me
unspoken
until your passing
when your heart exploded
mine did, too
I picked a Midler song:
“Wind Beneath My Wings”
and tried to go on
I think I loved you
a little too much
is all
I know you’re still here
with me
that you never left me
my hair is slowly turning gray
I call them my highlights
before long
we’ll be the same age
I can still see you
clearly
the way you were
and I don’t need a photograph
for that
TL