[p o e t r y]

A Cruel Fate for Fathers

My friend's father
Used to be strong

He used to hike
And ride horses
He hammered leather
And built fences

He worked with his hands
And was always
Hammering, building, hiking

But now he sits
Chair bound
And choked by IVs

Old age is a cruel
Fate for fathers

Strong hands
Turn frail

Tough hands
With scars from hand work and
Red dirt under the nails
Turned weak
Blue veins
Painfully apparent
Replace the leather like skin
That used to be

Beaming photos
Of a man in a cowboy hat
Standing taller than his daughter
Pinned to the fridge
Tell a story
Of the man he was

He was a different man
Before old age
Caught up with him

Now he sits
Confined to his chair
Tied by tubes

He used to rope cattle
And now IVs rope him
He used to stand taller
Then his daughter
And now he can't even stand

Old age is a cruel
Fate for fathers
But it's a crueler fate
For the daughters
Who must watch their hero grow old

(07/06/21)