my last glimpse of him

a silly wave and grin goodbye

as the orderly wheeled him 

to dinner table

 

he knew it was the last time

i knew it was the last time, too

as cancer progressively invaded

functioning brain

 

(isn’t cancer stupid?

simply by being alive

it can end the life of its host

–defeating its own self too)

 

and i walked out the door

to the airport and the plane taking me

back to the other side of the world

to children of my own, heartbroken but

 

grateful. grateful that in that moment

he gave me one final gift of assistance

—because how do you just walk away

forever from someone you have

always loved?

 

and while i knew he felt it too

he made it easier for me

with that cheeky smile

 

            –thinking about my dad after reading a poem about someone else’s.

 

heather pound 2024

Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash