Endgame

That last year

Dad lost his

taste for food

and drink,

even for the

Cuban cigar

he once carried

everywhere

like an extra

digit. He

took to napping

in daylight,

something

he could

never

abide, and

staring through

the picture

window overlooking

the small mountain

lake in

the cabin

                                                                                                                                                3.

I had helped

him

build. Once

we fished

that lake

for crappies

and small-mouth

bass.

Butter fried

over an

open fire, they

were perfect

with beer

cooled

in that ice cold

lake. Today

the wind

hints of winter

as I pack

his tools

and grandfather’s

rocker and take

the gravel road

down.

Steve Deutsch lives in State College, PA. Over the past two years, his work has appeared in over 2 dozen print and on line journals. He was nominated for Pushcart Prizes in 2017 and 2018. His Chapbook, “Perhaps You Can,” was published in 2019 by Kelsay Press. His full length book, Persistence of Memory was recently accepted for publication.