Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, every day
my father got up early to see me —
climbing out of bed, driving on highways:
endless stretches along the concrete seas.

The creak of a door, the bark of a dog —
I knew it was time to greet my loved one.
Innocence blocked my sight of the backlog:
his pain in seeing bonds become undone.

A caring chemist coming from afar
guides his son through the labyrinth of school.
Inspecting hydrocarbons within tar,
he longs to cheer on his son in the pool.

Courageously, he takes a leap of faith —
quitting his job, yet employed by love’s wraith.