By Sharon Flitterman-King
-- for Davis Flitterman
Palm trees line the street
-- for Davis Flitterman
Palm trees line the street
beyond the driveway
where we sit
you, my father
wheeled into the sunshine
by these hands
the hands that write
this poem
Plaid blanket
on your knees
soft calfskin slippers
on the feet that slip
off metal footrests
Your hands are folded
quietly
a thinking posture
for these hands
these fingers that I touch
I kneel beside you
holding on holding on
Mid-sentence you look past
my eyes and say
pointing to my hair
You have some white
a silver strand
behind my ear
So do you, I laugh
A secret that we share
this growing old
this love
Sharon Flitterman-King, who holds a PhD in English from the University of California, Berkeley, is the author of "A Secret Star." She lives in Hillsdale, New York with her husband, David King.
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