Running around, / feverish, / Sunday sweaty,
finally saying goodbye to Tom Petty / properly
‘Caring makes me feel un-American, and honey,
there’s something wrong with that…’ / from the corner,
my father’s imagined commentary / I belong here,
crawling the walls of a false memory, / and no one
can tell me that closeness makes a family / when I
didn’t learn of paternity until my thirties / (it had to be)
This way I can’t blame a name I never knew, / picture
a wrong face in the flashing red and blue / No, I’ll just
have trouble memorizing what’s true, / fill us both in
on the missed history, / make up the rest, / distinguish
between the fictions, / uncover mysteries, / and tap along
to our shared favorite tunes, / knowing all along it was you
that I missed / I’ll never forget this now, / your face,
our shared eyes and smiles, / across miles, / singing along to
‘Saving Grace’
August 9, 2019
Thistle Thoughts 