"Apparent" by Eric McHenry, Guest Contest Judge

Apparent

"Parent & Child" Watercolor on Paper
by J. Artemus Gordon

Eric McHenry

In memory of Evan, four or five years old

If it had been an open

window you would’ve kept

walking, but because

it was sun-puzzled glass

you saw me through, you stopped

halfway across the yard,

and squinted through the glare,

and waved, and seemed to wait

for something else to happen,

and finally it became

apparent that it had

already, and that you

were being kept from what

you’d been about to do

by nothing, and you gave

me one more gentle wave —

I’m here, you’re there —

and left me in my frame.

Poet’s Notes: I don’t think I’ll ever write a poem that successfully conveys the broken-openness and vulnerability of being a parent but I plan to keep trying. 

Editor’s Note:  I enjoy how “apparent” is a clever play on “a parent”.  “Apparent” was first published in Seattle Review.