My Father's Hands

A poem about me and my father's relationship and how it fades over time.

My Father's Hands

I reach out and feel his fingers in my grasp
His hands, so masculine while mine are so tiny
We exchange smiles, and giggles
We share many memories together
He says something witty and we both laugh
He watches me as my giggle grows louder and louder
We laugh until neither of us can laugh anymore

I pass by his fingers as they grasp the hands of another
His hands are old and rugged, her hands are old too
They exchange smiles, and secrets
They build many memories together
He says something witty and they both laugh
I watch them giggle as tears swell in my eyes
I got where I can be alone, I cry until I can't cry anymore

The other woman is the girlfriend
She is pretty, prettier than me
Funny, funnier than me
Above all, she is jealous, jealous of me
Sadly, I feel jealously too
Envy, turns to depression, and depression leads to insecurity

Our relationship slowly fades away
Sadness and regret for not staying true
Desire comes to be cheerful and outgoing whenever we were around
Now when I see him and the girlfriend
It drains all of the energy out of me and leaves me with nothing

Thank goodness, I have another place to go
I can write, read, laugh and enjoy
I recognize myself when I am in my original home
I am comfy and cozy
I appreciate mom's quaint and kind home
Unconditional love rejuvenates my soul

Even though I have a place to go
I still yearn for those times when I was younger
Reaching out and feeling his fingers, feeling his firm grasp
Feeling my dad's hands; they were so masculine, while mine were so tiny
We would exchange smile, and giggles
We shared many memories together
He would say something witty and both of us would smile
He would watch as my giggle got louder and louder
We would laugh until neither of us could laugh anymore

Evelyn Hartman

Author's Note

This is my first poem I have written in a long time. It is very personal.