My Last Photo of Dad

Who knew, on that hot day last August,

the same day Dani arrived in the world

(after only 18 minutes in the hospital)

who knew, as Dad sat there in his hospice bed,

half-way across the state of Massachusetts,

who knew, when I said to him, “Dad, I’m gonna

take your photo now, pretend you’re holding Dani in your arms.”

Who knew that I would be taking the very last photo I

ever took of my Dad.

And who knew when he cradled his arms together

so lovingly, as if he was indeed holding

Dani’s precious little head,

who knew that the two of them would meet in a 

time of poetry, in a STILL POINT

devoid of clocks, in the

forever of now

in a garden of bee balm 

and roses and bleeding heart

and black eyed Susans.

Some day, when both of them are 93

and they sit together in that stunning garden

where they both glow with light,

Dani is as grey haired as Dad,

and they speak of Dina, 

and Dad folds his hand over Dani's

just the way he took my hand

the day he walked me down the aisle,

and Dad says

"My darling Dani, do

you know that you were

named for my

beloved Dina?

We were married for

66 years and oh

that used to seem like

so much time, but

now that I am 93

and you are too

it isn't much time at all."

And then he sets one

hand gently on Dani's head

and he recalls all the cascading

rolls of shiny black hair

that Dina had back on her 

wedding day in 1949.

Dani arrived on August 6, 2020

and Dad passed nine days

later. Now eight months ago,

but wait. Dad is still so

much here in our hearts.

He watches as Dani 

follows, literally, in the

footsteps of her 

great grandmother --

Dina walked at nine months.

At eight months, Dani is

balancing, balancing, a

breath away from standing

on her own. And she is

climbing stairs and 

trying to talk.

And if she could speak,

she would tell us

all about her meeting

her great grandfather

in a photo where she 

lay in his arms, staring

up into his eyes.

And much later, in a poem,

"Letter to My Brand New Granddaughter."

And in that gaze, and in

that embrace and poem,

the generations came

face to face

and collapsed into one time

one place one space

of Infinite LOVE.