My father-in-law, in better days
He’s going away
one breath
one touch
one aching whisper
at a time.
He lies there in that hospital bed
aged a dozen years
in only one.
We don’t know him anymore
this weathered shell
this frailness
this lost look in his eyes.
This man
whose strong hands
once reached for grandchildren
snuggled them close
carried them out the door to ride
on his John Deere tractors.
This home-spun inventor
who crafted one-of-a-kind tools
to make his gardening work
a little easier.
He’s going away
and nobody knows how
to say good-bye.