Fading

 

It is not a feeling of sorrow as I wave good-bye 

To my father. There have been so many partings 

In my 53 years. Each one has taught me 

Something about departure 

And about this man, who has already taught 

Me more than all of the professors 

Decorating my degrees. 

This time, he has taught me patience 

As I have waited for him to shuffle toward me 

In the airport lobby. It is clear that he has had the lesson 

Of patience forced upon him and he now wears 

It like a bad hat, hoping the wind will take it. 

He and my mother live so far away, 

Since I moved to Hawai`i. 

But I have rested my guilt and try to gain 

Joy from their every visit. Yet, 

I now clutch a feeling of finality

As I watch them recede in the heavens, 

No longer certain if their flight takes 

Them where they wish to go.