Chiaroscuro
Seventeen years ago, on June 18, you were all smiles
in the Emergency Room. "I feel fine, daddy, probably something I ate” you
tried to comfort my fears.
Two days later you were in a wheelchair getting
worried, and asked to say a prayer.
That is when I took this picture at the Johns
Hopkins hospital in Baltimore.
Seventeen years ago, on July 19, we kissed you for
the last time.
That kiss, with your eyes already closed, will be
the kiss I remember when my time comes to close my eyes on a life where a corner
of emptiness never found is solace.
July 18, 2022
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2022