Same Eyes

(for my dad…)

My eyes are the
same color as
his.

They’re the same eyes that
saw me from infancy to
adulthood.

The same eyes in
which I’ve searched for
love and acceptance and
reassurance.

The same eyes that
spoke noiseless volumes which
filled me with pride or
made me weep.

The same eyes that saw
into my soul.  That were
filled with love and pride,
never hateful, always
safe and knowing.

The same eyes now
different, filled with
brief flickers of
recognition which
make my heart jump
then sink when the
emptiness returns to
the mix of blues and
greys.

The window
behind those
eyes closes, the spark
dims, the mem-
ories begin fading
quickly…a brief
sadness, as if he
knows what’s hap-
penning, then
nothing.

My eyes are the
same color as
his.

by Kaley C. Fore, age 43, Smyrna, TN