years as chapters bisect life,
sometimes unread
others cluttered with paragraphs,
three daughters and a father,
unseen almost for novel length,
new lives
new mortal possessions ,
at an abstract distance
they had gone,
his bitterness a vile oil
through birth and extension,
then connection made,
grandchild opaque eyes
face untouched by life,
reluctant then relenting
folding away oil infused
parchment skin,
exposing heart and soul
for forgiveness and love
carrion to emotion,
an embrace that reaches
to the outer confines of space,
things would be different,
as he looked to the last pages
already knowing the ending
velvetmedia 