A letter arrived in the mailbox;
addressed to someone else.
It lacked a return address.
The name didn’t ring a bell,
but it ended up in my mailbox.
Curiosity got the better of me;
I opened it. A kid was looking for his father,
wishing to know if he’d atone for his absence.
The kid said he was dying of cancer
but wanted to meet his dad before taking his last
breath.
I teared up, realizing I’d penned the letter.
Mom forwarded it to my dad thirty years ago
when the doctors told me
I had but days left to live.
Dad must have returned it as his answer.
I smiled and took my daughter to buy her prom dress.

(© 2022 AC)

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