good-bye dad

i awoke this morning to the sound of the phone ringing,
my heart heavy, cold, broken even before i picked up the phone.

my mother was crying.
a nurse told me,
my father was,
dead.

now i sit on an airplane, flying home,
where i won't find my father ever again.

numbness spreads across my mind,
and i can already feel the tangible sound
of my father's voice fading from my mind.

i turn to the window and stare out at the clouds,
a single tear blurring my eyes as i whisper,
good-bye.