For Clarence

when the call came I was tieing my shoes it was raining and i was heading out for coffee i felt the phone ring through the line, the phone my bones he was 88 years old the man of my dreams he taught me about farm animals and righty tighty, lefty loosey he let me sit on his lap while he backed the car out of the garage and showed me the fine points of a good, homegrown tomato once when i was seven years old he came home from a road trip with a red cowboy hat and bandana with my name on it and he brought me a beaded belt with "San Francisco" on it he taught me how to make a mean Manhattan and how to clean a sink trap he was a good man and a great father that dad of mine