8/24: for my papa

time moves slowly around you.

before I know it, i'm crying with your arms around me -
we're both scared of the same thing,
but in different ways.

i watch you on the porch,
your fingers move clumsily
with the tiny screws you exhumed from this dead flashlight.
you breathe steadily as you're fixing this thing,
but what I mean is,
as you fix the world.

before i know it, i'm crying with your arms around me -
and if we're honest with each other,
i'm dead the moment you are.