Written by Kevin Stuart Brodie
The package was nothing
but white cardboard
held together with
glue and clear tape.
It hadn’t even arrived
special delivery.
He found it on the porch
when he got home.
He used a letter opener
to sever the tape
and jumped
when the flaps
popped straight up.
Hiding beneath layers
of bubble wrap
was a metal container
the color of charcoal.
Inside that was
a heavy plastic bag
filled with a gritty black dust.
The bag was clasped together
with a gold tag engraved
with his father’s name.
He pushed his way through
the overgrown woods
to the river where
his father fished as a boy.
He thought about birthdays
that arrived
with no presents,
or even phone calls.
But then he remembered
the night his father
held his hand
and spoke gently
explaining why Rick
would just let Ilsa
fly off into the darkness.
Cradling the bag
in the crook of his arm
he smiled
wishing his father
had always been this easy
to hold.
Text © Kevin Stuart Brodie
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