He Loved Me

halloween
today is dads birthday
I don't know exactly
how old he would be
and I am not going
to figure it out
I am just remembering him
and the way he held me
on his lap when I was
a child sick with asthma
we sat on the old rocking chair
in the livingroom on cold snowy nights
with our feet over the floor register
feeling the warm air
from our coal furnace in the basement
he brushed his hand slowly across
my forehead over and over
helping me to relax
so I could breath easier
and maybe finally sleep
at 72 I still remember this
and know that he
loved me