A Fading Photo

You are kneeling down

   With a 2-year-old version of me

            Standing in front of you

            Grasping your left wrist with one hand

            And your hand in the other

A wedding ring reflecting back

   But the love would soon lose its spark

            (I wonder what you did with the ring)

We are both smiling

  Cheeks puffy

    High on our cheekbones

I don’t recognize myself

   The little one in the picture

   Is the spitting image of my second son

Looking at the picture I recognize the hollow echo of

   Pain when I concentrate on your smile

I had never seen this picture of us until today

A picture from the 70’s

            No filter needed

It is a beautiful moment of a happy father and son

I wonder when you really let go of my hand

   Because I feel like I’ve been walking

            Alone since I was born

But the picture shows me holding on to you

            Like any son would

            Like any son should in this world

                        Because we might stumble and fall

But I’ve walked myself to this moment

Some hard roads traveled

   Stumbled and fell

            treaded so many miles

            I’ve forgotten where I started

Until today

Until I saw this fading photo

   Of a father kneeling

   And a son standing in front of him

Grasping his hand for support

  So that I won’t stumble and fall