You didn’t leave in the thunders cry,

No storm to split the heavy sky.

You slipped into the quiet air,

A breath undone, a vacant chair.

Your boots still rest beside the door,

But walk our hallway nevermore.

The tools you left lie still, and yet—

Their silence speaks of no regret.

You taught me strength without loud word,

A wisdom soft, like winds unheard.

Now every breeze that stirs the pine

Feels like your hand still holding mine.

The world continues, unaware

That something vast is missing there.

A laugh, a glance, a certain tone—

A way to make the world feel known.

I carry all you couldn’t stay

To finish saying, day by day.

And in my spine, your steadiness—

A map through grief, a father’s gift.

You rest where even pain can’t climb,

Beyond the reach of dust or time.

But in this heart, though you are gone,

The shape of you still lingers on.