For my dad, on his birthday
I remember the sound of you coming home
The soft opening of the mudroom door
The way your uniform smelled
When I pressed my face into your arms
Traveled and clean
I remember the year we did the canoe race
For Syttende Mai weekend
The weakness of my arms, the strength of yours
But it felt like ours on that water
I’ve always wanted to be as strong as you
I remember how fast you cleaned counters
And kitchens, and sinks
Not just that you got to it before
Mom could tell us to do our chores
But the movement of your arms
Purposeful, because it needed to be done
Efficient, to be done
I remember watching Star Trek
Captain Picard and Data
All you ever need to know
You’d tell me, was in these stories
When you read me Harry Potter
I understood
I remember sitting on the couch
With the fire you built warming the room
Mom sleeping, Wes fidgeting
You reading, me hanging on every word
I remember you calling your mom every day
Like you still do
I like Nana’s stories of you growing up, never sitting still
Like you still never do
All so you can be there
For them, for us, for all the people you win over
By being someone who does
What he says he’s going to do
And then does good things
I love you
Natalie