a man of your words

for my father

I can see

the man you are,

the man you think that

no one else can see anymore

a man who thought by now he would

be rich in the returns

on all he had invested

I can see

this feels like a betrayal,

a promissary note unexpectedly unpaid:

the body’s refusal to do

what it has always done

the mind’s refusal to call up

what it knows – what you know it knows

I can see

you try to cover your losses

however you can,

lowering your sights,

looking in yourself for pennies

squirreled away and long forgotten,

always feeling like you’re coming up short

I can see

this isn’t the story that you thought it was,

but it’s not over yet;

a man of your words

can start a new chapter

find the poet, the preacher, the writer in you

and go on

poem (c) 2017 D. Ohlandt

please only reprint in entirety and with credit given