And – A Voyage ’Round my Father

1957

And,
My nephew asks,
For an album he is making,
Send pictures,
Of an earlier time,
And place.

And,
Monochrome memories,
Retrieved,
Of my mother, he and I,
A tricrotic of life,
And brace.

And,
I make the visit,
To make decisions,
On a future,
Out of control,
And space.

And,
He lies there,
Pale,
Pale as an outrider ghost,
Impaled by silicone,
And pace.

And,
Where once resolute theologic,
Now care-worn pathologic,
Creed and creatinine,
Polar opposites of hope,
And grace.

And,
Round and round I travel,
In my mind,
Searching for the words,
The lost days,
And trace.

And,
As I leave,
Unspoken thoughts,
Between us,
A kiss on lips,
And face.

And......