His Daughter

The man sat down

holding much more than a frown.

He stared at the floor,

afraid to admit he was crying.

His daughter shook her head.

"No one's ever really dead."

His eyes traveled to hers.

This was no time for interruption.

Dogs barked outside.

The mice still knew to hide-

but he couldn't continue on

not for another moment.

The daughter saw her father

as much a corpse as her mother.

She couldn't bear it.

She wasn't as broken.

So she went on her way,

finding herself as a stray,

How could she live happy?

How could she live again?

If dogs could howl to her,

if mice could forever cower,

she could move forward.

She would live again.