guitar

"my son..." he says as he begins to play

"i wrote this lonely song to honor you"

his son replies to meet his dad halfway

with half a smile as though it was his cue

those chords strung beautifully as words came out

he sang of how his son would never die

not in his heart; no he sang past his doubt:

"♪ i swear to you no farewell, no good-bye ♫"

then on that night he fought his need to sleep

and as his son dozed peacefully in bed

he made his way to where his heart could weep

alone while he unraveled like pure thread

the tumor his son lived with was his pain

and so in tears he hummed that song again