Poetry by Richard King Perkins II
So Fleetingly
Stars are born in the great still lake below.
Above, satellites falter in their uneasy orbits.
In forward years, you’ll find your lost father
waiting beyond the Perseids.
You’ll remember him saying
I won’t let go until you ask me to--
and even when you said it was time he never
let you see him as anything but unperturbed.
You’ll live past a billion blinks of an eye,
he’d say, if you understand what it is
you’re looking for. A slight breeze robs
the universe of stars.
They were never as real as the water that
held them, however so fleetingly.
Stars are born in the great still lake below.
Above, satellites falter in their uneasy orbits.
In forward years, you’ll find your lost father
waiting beyond the Perseids.
You’ll remember him saying
I won’t let go until you ask me to--
and even when you said it was time he never
let you see him as anything but unperturbed.
You’ll live past a billion blinks of an eye,
he’d say, if you understand what it is
you’re looking for. A slight breeze robs
the universe of stars.
They were never as real as the water that
held them, however so fleetingly.
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Richard King Perkins II is a state-sponsored advocate for residents in long-term care facilities. He lives in Crystal Lake, IL, USA, with his wife, Vickie and daughter, Sage. He is a three-time Pushcart, Best of the Net and Best of the Web nominee whose work has appeared in more than a thousand publications.
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