Nervously, he touches his father's face

Who returns not the warmth of life

But the pale coolness of someone

Who will never wake again

He wishes he could tell this cold man

About the anger he still feels inside

And how impossible he has made it

That he could not now ever give it back

With no choice but to grieve

How does a man learn to forgive

Now that both are alone, more than ever

He looks at his father imploringly

Cautiously, the son who is no longer a son

Remembers when his father

Became an imperfect man

A shadow he could never understand

He wishes he could return the love

That he could never admit to himself

For how could it be possible

For two men to love each other

With no choice but to lose

How does a man learn to grow up

If he is made to believe

He can only ever be a child

Thus the child who is no longer a child

Begrudgingly gives into silence

Finding in discarded memories

The gratitude to make a change

For how two men can love each other

Is a lesson that only two men

Can learn from one another

And so he surrenders his pride

And kisses his father goodbye

1 August 2019