“Daddy, daddy, come up here,
it’s awesome!”
Seven year old Emma is on Thanksgiving break
Decked out in a bright yellow skirt
and a blue sweater
tied around her waist
It’s two days before the holiday
and unseasonably warm in
Littleton, Colorado
A jet streaks west across
The cloudless Denver sky
And two crows squawk loudly
as they fly over Emma and her dad
They have a green Frisbee in hand
as they climb through snow to the top of a hill
Come on daddy, let’s play!”
Dad turns and angrily scolds Emma …
“Emma, can’t you see
I’m on the phone?”
I squint to see them
framed by the sun…
a stone’s throw away from
The Columbine Memorial
It is so quiet here
as just a few people
walk slowly by to honor the special kids
and heroic coach who died
I’m reading the dedication
to Matthew Kechter
when I notice an empty bird’s nest
in a leafless tree
just behind his marker
How sad it is that the bird
can return
but Matt can’t
I say a prayer that Emma’s dad
can put his cell phone away
long enough to enjoy playing Frisbee
with her….
that this Thanksgiving he’ll realize
what an irreplaceable gift she is….
and begin to treasure every minute
he can with her.
What You’re Saying