Picture a pebble
Picture a pebble on a beach
Just close enough to be lapped by the sea at high tide
And scorched by the sun at high noon
The tide ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows, ebbs and flows
Just like the spark of life that drives skin and bone

Imagine a green balloon
A green balloon that floats above this emerald sea
And those waters are reflected in his shimmering eyes
Filled with tears as he watches the balloon float off into the sky
The floating sphere reminds him of his pain, of his loss

Is it his father’s spirit adrift in the wind?
His tears flow freely and mix with the waters of the sea
Where the repeating burial continues, wearing away at the pebble.
And at once, he feels like the stone, bound, chained to the earth being washed away by his grief.
And, in the same instant, he feels angry at Him for taking away the one that he loved

He kicks the pebble
Sends it cascading across the waters
It breaks the rhythm of the rippling waves
As tragedy can break life’s steady pulse
The stone skips but few times more
Before it finally sinks beneath the sea's surface
And the steady pulse returns
And the pulse pervades his rage
His senses once dulled by emotion begin to return
He hears coursing of blood through his veins, the birds in the air and the lapping of the sea
He feels the cool water as he reaches down to cup it in his hand and trickle it onto his face
He smells the salt air as it drifts toward him
And tastes his tears as they well onto his cheeks

I met that man tonight.
I wrote this poem without ever thinking I’d meet him
Honestly, I already knew him, but I didn’t know the pain that he felt.
He made a simple request. I obliged.
I saw the tears flow, but didn’t know why.
I’m sorry for your loss, Good Sir.
I can only imagine that you will see him again someday.

Picture a star
Picture a star shining brightly
Just beyond what the human eye can see
We see but a shimmer but supposedly
These glints in the sky are massive
And make up something that our understanding surpasses
But maybe one of brightest is your father beaming down