Father's Day Manicures

Here is poem in two parts that I wrote based on my dad's recent visit to our home.  He is such an amazing grandfather and continues to challenge, love and encourage me.  I love the strength of my father's hands and that he always taught me, "The pen is swifter than the sword." I am so very thankful.

.

His

 

After sawing logs on the couch,

your Daddy wakes and says he’ll bake

 a sweet potato pie.

You look at his thick rhinoceros horn nails,

and say, “Daddy, please wait.”

Then you start to clip those jagged saws

and say, “How could you let them go

for so long?”

You gather the clippings

 in your skirt and your son tells you

 that you are acting

 like his mom. But your dad

is no longer acting

like your son who would have

 balled his sharp nails into a fist

 if you tried.

Daddy says, “I can’t

remember anyone ever

clipping my nails.”

Hers

He considers the small

 bottle of purple  metallic polish

 and says, “Yes, I will

 paint your nails,

but I have never painted

a person’s nails before.”

She says that’s okay

and spreads the sum of her years

 on a flattened macaroni box

 to protect the table where you sat

 as a child and now stand at a distance

 to watch your father bent over

 and concentrating with bifocals off.

 The top of his head gleams,

the bald spot that was a golden coin

 has grown into a mirror.

 And this little curly haired girl,

 your daughter, is you

though he never said, “yes”

when you asked.    

you want to bottle this moment

 to take a picture of those thick 

tree trunk fingers holding her red bud twigs.

She sighs her patient I’m a big girl sigh

as he takes his time and colors outside the lines.