Time After Time - 9.15.21

Well, it's my father's birthday. Second one since he passed away.

This year I have my son with me, and for Christmas Eve/Christmas too.

So I'll do my best to make him smile as the year comes to a close.

He turns 3 on the 30th too, so even more reason to get that holiday spirit up.

For my dad though, here's a piece on grief.

I wrote the first draft back in July and touched it up a bit since then.

Hope you take something from it and it gives you some sort of hug through the holidays.

Sunshine-Yellow Tape.

Summer was snatched from me overnight.

There’s evidence that it went out

kicking and screaming

but I wasn’t around to confirm anything.

Splotches of melted ice cream in the kitchen.

Sunblock smeared across the bathroom mirror.

Sand lightly dusted on the front steps.

Maybe it ran away on its own

in a hurry,

without leaving a note,

and I didn’t care enough to notice it was packing its bags.

It’s not like I gave it reasons to stay.

Biting my tongue

as neighboring trees watch from across the way.

Tip-toeing out of warm greens and into sappy reddish-browns.

Leaning away from my apartment

as they silently gossip about the crime scene.

Not a single cloud in sight

but it’s no sunny day without my Summer.

Hot air poking the doorbell

but it’s no heatwave without my Summer.

Family around a grill

but it’s no cookout without my Summer.

I talk to my Spring more tenderly now

that I’m without my Summer.

There’s no way around it:

every season has a lukewarm feeling in the breeze,

and life these days is a bit more wintery.