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| My father, Carl Barker |
Deep, dark brown
More almond-shaped than any almond
Short lashes loosely-covered with saggy skin
Reading, always
Anything and everything
Day into night, sometimes into day again
Stories of rugged cowboys with guns and sweaty horses,
County, back-woods postal addresses
Political commentaries, Sunday color comics
Post-Herald
Birmingham News
Sports section first, forever and amen
Disease-invaded like an army
He fought them all with force
Passed away one night while praying that he'd continue to live
We learned what was possible
Through salty, hot tears
And smiled with happiness at the irony of his gift
Corneas, still healthy, searching for more
Traveled to someone unknown
So that they could see, they could read
Perhaps I, while on a journey to Montgomery or Mobile
Looked in my father's eyes
Though they were no longer almond-shaped and brown
They would have been reading
Anything, everything
Sports section first, forever and amen
