Last Easter When I Saw Him

Remembered hatreds
Choke in my throat
to see him, a gray haired MAN
a pizza delivery boy
And my imaginings, expectations
of the villain I hoped to find
Dissipate in the sunlight shining on his balding forehead
And he says “I miss you”
He means it, can’t help what he is, I guess
A young sailor who falls in love;
A storybook romance
Three beautiful children, then,
it goes sour.
I don’t know why; I suppose I never will.
Appointments he never kept
Letters he never wrote
Broken promises and unfulfilled hopes
They scatter in the dust.
I pick up the pieces and start again.
Understanding and accepting
He’s imperfect, but so am I
Forgiveness pours through me
Undependable, irresponsible, he is
But he loves me.
And it means the world to both of us
When I say, “I love you, Dad”
Written in 1976
Copyright © Catherine G. Tripp