Invisible

I

The tears were there

But

I don’t remember them ever hitting the ground

My dad’s were fierce

My mom’s were soft

Mine, were invisible

The shock to my system overwhelmed my senses

Reality refused to visit me

But the truth lay bare in front of me

My brother was gone

The tears were there

But

They were not like the tears of my sisters

One, mourning a squandered past

The other, mourning a future that would never be

Mine, were invisible

One final look in the casket

One final song

One final car ride

One final flower

My brother was gone

II

The tears were there

But

This time they hit the ground

My mom’s were fierce

My wife’s were soft

My dad’s were invisible

The shock to my system overwhelmed my senses

Reality refused to visit me
But the truth lay bare in front of me

My dad was gone

The tears were there

But

This time it was not just the tears of my sisters

They belonged to me

They belonged to memories

They belonged to joy

They belonged to pain

My dad’s were invisible

One final hug

One final kiss

One final goodbye

One final family prayer

My dad was gone