Waiting on a Park Bench to Meet my Father for the First Time
Poetry
A man emerges
from between ivy-bound
moss-mosaiced pillars.
He is a shelf of history
contained between bookends.
I sit waiting
like it’s not been forever,
on a predetermined park bench,
so there’s no mistaking
who I am. Though
I’m not sure I know.
A bunch of kids chase tadpoles,
tugging iwatched wrists of fathers,
neon nets weaving water and I
inhale nostalgia for a childhood
I can touch.
We evolved from a fish
I learned in class
when I was six, fidgeting
on a message-etched bench,
beech and graffiti blended
into time capsule.
How far back matters?
I wait as the man approaches
slender, spectacled,
ink-speckled fingers
clutching notebooks
like I cling to myself,
skin tight around my chest,
hand in hand, knuckles bleached.
He’s closer now. I smell him
musty sweet.
Although I’ve never met
this man before,
in his sage grey-rimmed iris,
I see myself
About the Creator
Teresa Renton
Inhaling life, exhaling stories, poetry, prose, flash or fusions. An imperfect perfectionist who writes and recycles words. I write because I love how it feels to make ink patterns & form words, like pictures, on a page.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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By Shirley Belk6 days ago in Fiction
Comments (6)
This is absolutely brilliant, Teresa! My apologies for the late comment - I'm still catching up. Congratulations on a well-deserved win!
This is such a beautifully crafted piece. Congrats on winning the challenge.
Wooohooooo congratulations on your win! 🎉💖🎊🎉💖🎊
What a powerful lens you've created here Teresa! Truly a transformative poem. Wowed!
"He is a shelf of history contained between bookends." Omggg, those lines were simply brilliant and were my favourite! Loved your poem! "tugging iwatched wrists of fathers" I was wondering what iwatched meant. Or is it a typo?
Wow, this one is deep! That closing line? Perfect gut punch. You may be meeting him for the first time but he’s been part of your heartbeat since the start.💖