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Writer's pictureTina Neyer

Forever 42

Updated: Jul 6, 2021


The closest I came to touching my dad lives in my imagination.

In his dying days, my mother,

Pregnant, believes this third child will be a boy, wants to name it Peter.

I see my dad put his head on her tummy.

"Naw, this is a girl," he says through tired, sad eyes.

Tina Louise dribbled off his tongue like honey off a biscuit.

And I am tied to the ghost of a man like buttons on his favorite shirt.

My father, forever 42.



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6 Comments


Nancy Kes
Jun 22, 2021

Ohh, I like that comments of yours too, Tina!

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janetbosse
Jun 21, 2021

They say Father Knows Best. Such a sweet story; makes me want to read more.

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eva4ab
Jun 21, 2021

Lovely, Tina. And I love these old photos!

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Tina Neyer
Tina Neyer
Jun 21, 2021
Replying to

Thank you. As much as I have moved on from this reality, it continues to be my very definition.

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Nancy Kes
Jun 21, 2021

I loved your poem about your dad! My favorite line: "And I am tied to the ghost of a man like buttons on his favorite shirt."

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Tina Neyer
Tina Neyer
Jun 21, 2021
Replying to

Nancy, thank you for the read backs. We muddle through, don't we?

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