But now my father had died. Hold tight.
Hold tight.
The words on the page stung.
Something far away was too familiar.
Suddenly
This memoir in my hands –
Love and bereavement tangled,
laid open, raw and bare.
A late night phone call
My father had died.
Right then.
A moment earlier, he was himself
Old and tired, but alive
in the world
And then he was not.
Hold tight.
I closed the book.
Stared into the yellow eyes of the hawk in front of me.
Was that anger, or fear?
A lifetime, then, oh,
The great unknown.
I look down again, and the boy that was my father is gone.
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About katemccarrollmoore
Kate Moore’s passion is literacy, and she serves as a mentor teacher and staff developer throughout the greater Bay Area. Kate served three terms as the City of San Ramon's Poet Laureate (2012-2018); she also teaches poetry writing workshops and is an instructor in the Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership (MATL) program at St. Mary’s College of California. She was honored as SRVUSD Teacher of the Year in 2007 and San Ramon Chamber of Commerce Educator of the Year in 2009. Kate holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership for Social Justice from California State University, East Bay, an M.A. in Teacher Leadership from St. Mary’s and a B.A. in English Education from SUNY Albany. She and Bob Moore are the proud parents of four beautiful grown daughters, and the smitten grandparents of six beautiful children who fill them with hope for the future.
KateMcCarrollMoore 
Beautiful. Like you!
Kathy, this is so touching, particularly given that you were reading a memoir on a woman dealing with her father’s death…your flow of words, the way you have placed them, really are beautiful. Hugs.