Artwalk POETRY and ART

I am a long aching shadow
pausing upon the wall of my daughter’s home
Dark and disconnected
Shaped by the distortions of divorce

The flickering glow within my ‘Father’ heart,
infected with a tungsten emotion,
wavers with the tail of a gray cat
that has ventured forth to greet me

She approaches with an awkward meow
and the hesitant gait reserved for strangers
Warm arched back plays against my shins
I chuckle at sudden gift of affection

I stoop to tickle delicate ears
privy to my daughter’s whispered secrets
Does this feline sense the lives my heart has lost
while our gaze shifts to awakened porchlight?

The sound of daughter’s demure ‘Hello’
mingles with the purring in my ears
And though the ache in receding shadow lightens,
I know I’ve lost by more than just a whisker