Blink blue sky face at a gathering
Marking the passage of time
My child my daughter
The blue carnation corsage on her slim wrist
Legs long stretched like taffy
When did it happen that I’m standing
In the heat of this day?
Sweat on my upper lip
Sweets on the tray
My wife rattle crash in the kitchen
Squeal of the screen door oil it
Maybe later and she rolls her eyes at me
We’re in on the joke, but it’s taking its toll
Is she really hunchback fatigued
Or has she been magazine-programmed?
Shakes her head at my every line of reasoning
This dish, this seasoning
The leavening of our family bread
And we shall rise
Phoenix from the ashes
College scholarship! Make something of herself!
All so banal
And we crawl, on our knees to the god of supposed-to-come-next
Take the ticket
Dim thoughts on a bright day
The dog races toward me
Tongue lolling and his smell
As I bend to pat him mingles
With that of cut grass from the neighbor’s yard
Where’s my cross to guard me
From the vampire time sucking
Dry the years and my son
Blond ambitionless pulling at his lip
Flicker screen blue sky blank
I wonder what they’re pumping him
Full of not love not nothing double negative
A plot? He puts his phone in his pocket
Catches me staring, shy smile, whatta guy
I ache because he’s the best I’m a sentimental softie
From me of me not me paradox enigma
I worry too much not enough and my wife shakes her head
Again conspiracy lunacy fluency
What’s the frequency?
Blink up at sky, hot sun, moist under my arms
Suffer my mother-in-law’s charms
Lipstick in the cracks of her lips
I see the shadow of my daughter
In her chin and the generations stretch back
Flicker movie screen blink all gone and slack
Moment blip sip the punch, cold and sweet on throat
Sherbet lolling in the pink soda like a pig in mud
As I stir the bowl with the ladle
Joy joy I tell you future oh suture seal this wound
And I saw it all and it was “chasing the wind”
Writes the Ecclesiastical and my daughter
Leans her forehead toward a friend
Laughs prettily her future my future blend never end
I am a stream narrowing to a trickle
No blame, dear one, you wax and I’ll wane
She touches her friend’s arm a glance my way
“Smile, Dad,” she says, pursing lips shaking head
And I do but blinking look away
Flash blip blue sky gone soon never ending
Paradox party streamers hang from the deck
She wanted “something small”
We’ve got this infinitesimal moment under the massive sky
Infinity is a blip stream narrow trickle gone
Crying, “here we are” at this party on the lawn