Walking through Walmart and seeing the signs, The cards that say “Happy Father’s Day” in blue and silvery letters And the mugs that say “World’s Greatest Dad,” I stop and think Oh, I should… But then I remember that I should not, That this year, for the first time, I don’t need to buy a card That extols the virtue of fatherhood, Or—more likely with my dad— Tells a corny dad-joke that he would totally appreciate Because that’s the kind of humor he had, I don’t have to purchase a fancy tie or a set of power tools Or a silly mug that says “World’s Best Father” which he would never use because he already had more coffee cups than he would need to use in a lifetime I won’t be going to a Father’s Day dinner with all of his favorite foods Or pretending to watch NASCAR with him While I really play on my phone (Because watching a bunch of cars going around a track over and over again is so interesting) And it doesn’t hurt as much as I expected,

They come in a myriad of colors, An abundance of forms, And they have countless inhabitants Grey turns to lavender and pink, Which give way to orange, coral, and finally a golden yellow that ushers in a pale blue that is both crisp and soft, cool and comforting Yellow and blue may be joined by wispy white, or iron grey depending upon the day and the season Sometimes the yellow is hidden, maybe for a moment or perhaps for a long time, Covered by charcoal, iron, and ash, And every night the yellow disappears, replaced by inky blackness, with soft pinpricks of dazzling, beautiful white Yet the skies remain the same! Layers of infinity expressed in various ways, And many different being sojourn therein, Some unexpectedly, For we were born without wings And yet thence we fly, Even beyond the clouds Oh how life is like the skies! Infinite layers of Light and nuanced expressions peppered with darkness, but always the same sky, no