I Think About My Father

by James Babbs

I think about my father
every time I enter this garage
I remember him coming here
working on all those cars
and I think about him
every time I’m holding the hammer
preparing to drive the nail
or when I use the saw to cut the board
and sharpen the blade of the lawnmower
I think about my father
every time I start another project
thinking about what he would’ve done
before the diabetes made him blind
and I remember him
always working with his hands
the scent of sweat following him inside
I think about my father
every time I enter a hospital
and I remember him
when I’m walking those long corridors
through the empty spaces
going past all those rooms
that to me, still, look the same