Capt. Thomas Kelsey Burgess, Sandia AFB, New Mexico
my lost father
by Lucille Clifton
see where he moves
he leaves a wake of tears
see in the path of his going
the banners of regret
see just above him the cloud
of welcome see him rise
see him enter the company
of husbands fathers sons
My father and me.
I lost this lovely man when he was but forty-five, and I was turning twenty. I've missed him all my life.
Happy Father's Day, Daddy.