Our Father

Our father, who art in heaven
Hallowed be thy name…

One night not long after you had left us
I stepped out onto the porch
Of the house that you built
With your own strong hands
With the help of our mother
And your brothers
So many years ago

I was confused
There was your workshop, dark and empty
And the barn that you built
To hold the farm equipment, the tractor that plowed Mom’s gardens, the buckets and shovels and hoes
And the RV that held so many of your adventures and your stories
And so many dreams of adventures not yet lived

It was strangely quiet there.
That workshop that was the source of so many noises
Bandsaw, jigsaw, wood lathe, metal lathe, air compressor, router
Mechanical contraptions that you showed to me with pride
Demonstrating what they could do
But the real marvel was those hands,
Those enormously capable, loving hands
And the mind that ordered our little universe
Always thinking
About how you could make things better
For those you loved.

Past the darkness, past the closed doors
Dust from many projects left incomplete
Layered itself under the dust
Of time passing
Succumbed to a silence
That broke the heart
And surpassed all understanding

A blanket of stars spread above me
I turned my tear-streaked face heavenward
Shaking my head in disbelief
And a moment of anger
NO!!!
I screamed silently at the sky
It was not fair, how it happened
So many projects, so many dreams left to live
And then suddenly I realized
I was not alone.

Where are you?
I whispered the words
To the vast expanse of stars
And you answered
With an embrace
As big as the sky.