because of a bent blade

now that my life 

is stopped by a bent mower blade

the age when such bee stings 

to my bony bottom

were far from the horizon 

slip further away. 

flipping through an old photo album

chosen at random 

from the hall closet 

that used to house old halloween costumes

twists the knife further. 

my parents and their friends

who have either shuffled off

or retained the same routine for decades

appear as the light captured them

before i was even cognizant 

that adults were real 

and my purpose is to be one. 

hell, they could be younger than i am now

which is much more startling

than looking at my father's 

old black and white school picture. 

the blade will be replaced

and it will be another check mark

on my to-do list

written on notebook paper

with frayed edges. 

i'll take one step further 

to the father i knew

and one more away 

from the one i never did.