I was standing in the living room when you appeared
You stepped in as if you hadn’t unzipped space
As if death had only delayed you for a moment
Papa?
I can only be here for a day, you warned me
You were dressed very smartly
Mister Rodgers crossed with tweed
The fireplace grew larger than ever
Your face was a study in the flicker of the flames
I have to tell people
Tell people that you’re here
My words rushed out of me like they always do
I remember the urgency
Even in dreams
I recognized the miracle of your arrival
But you settled your hand on my shoulder
Only for a day
You reminded me
I remembered then the guests I was to have over
But you spread your arms
In that indulgent
Capturing of joy
I always remember of you
I explained I writing poetry
A new aspect of me
You hadn’t seen yet
I’ve written about you,
I told you
And
There is not much I remember as the dream fades
But you told me you were proud of me
And my heart tightened as it does now
The time became superfluous
Our words indelicately pulled out to occupy hours
I was aware of the people piling in and out of the room
The flames
The tavern the living room had morphed into
Then you had to go
And we were standing by the sea
I didn’t want you to go
But I understood the gift even in dream state
As you waded back into the water
I hadn’t seen you, dreamed you in such a long time
Almost eleven years since we last spoke
Yet you were here last night and
The divine had never appeared so clearly
Somehow we occupied the same space again
In no space at all