Turning Ideas into Words
In My Father’s Eyes
by Cody McCullough
In my father’s eyes
I see blue
I see the past
I see Christmas morning
The desert
The deer
I see love
I see my dad
In my father’s eyes
I see warmth
I see the present
I see the unseen
The memory
The Marine
I see love
I see my dad
In my father’s eyes
I see us all
I see the future
I see the grandkids
The family
The friends
I see love
I see my old man
In my father’s eyes
I see me
Like a cadaver,
I lie cold and still
as my layers
slowly strip away.
With each written word,
my cocoon is cut away
leaving me naked
and vulnerable.
First, my skin
is peeled back
revealing a cache
of hidden words.
My muscular system
is then dissected
making my stanzas
fall
apart.
rules and punctuation
are then lost
as my skeletal system
is dislodged
finally my nervous system
lies absent all its layers
revealing the hidden
inner truth of my being
but i am not dead
and i am not alone
instead i write on
with everything revealed
the past was good
even if it wasn’t
it’s hard to let go
of what you had
tomorrow will be good
even if it won’t
it’s hard to let go
of what you want
yesterday’s gone
tomorrow never comes
one a memory
one a dream
both dangle
false reality
lost in time
lost in my mind
this is my last day
trapped in time
as I release everything
and live only for today
turn
the key
open
the door
enter
the realm
read
the words
seek
the truth
decode
the past
live
the present
create
the future
escape
the myth
become
the light
free
the mind
swooping down
the heart of darkness
flying high
golden rays of warmth
life’s maze
valleys and erupting volcanoes
unopened present
waiting for the day
eternal moment
the plain stretches forth
yesterday’s journey
buried beneath our feet
pushing forward
we forget and forgive
walking straight
into a new beginning
bidding farewell
doubt and fear fade
the tree
finally within our grasp
I am here
I am alive
In this day
Always this day
Yesterday a memory
Ever changing particles
The slow fade
To complete dissolution
Tomorrow a dream
Blazing hot fusion
The dense crunch
Of universal want
Today a reality
Shaped by gravity
The tangible realm
Of solid matter
I am here
I am alive
In this day
I am eternal
warm summer sun
caresses youthful skin
a gentle breeze
awakens inner truth
early morning melts
into late afternoon
worries at bay
as we rejuvenate
cool crisp water
cleanses our souls
side by side
we lie together
a perfect moment
a perfect day
lost in time
only a memory
now i stand
cold and alone
with your ashes
in my hands
ashes to ashes
dust to dust
i release you
to drift away
now and forever
at the lake
