For my father

I miss you
and you’re not even gone
Our conversation sticks to my insides
like sap on a tree
and I am forever changed
by it’s slow progression

I find myself gasping for air
much like you
for secrets like these
are a slow death
that never reach the waters surface
and never get the air they need

I would give you my breath
if it would save you
for I have clung to your legs
more than I should have

and now, in your memory
you will see a figure
whose love will never leave you
and I will do all that I can
to find the breath that you need