For My Dad – in Loving Memory of Johnny E. Derossett

In quiet shadows, by his side,
My father lay as memories cried,
A decade lost in bitter strain,
But love, like rivers, rose again.

I held his hand, so frail and cold,
Reclaiming warmth long left untold.
In silence deep, our gazes met,
Where words had faltered, hearts were set.

The years dissolved like morning mist,
In his tired eyes, I found the twist—
Regret and love, entwined as one,
Our wounds both healing, nearly done.

He whispered softly, “Son, I know—”
And in those words, forgiveness flowed.
The hurt, the pride, both slipped away,
As death drew near the break of day.

Now memory holds his gentle face,
A fragile peace, a last embrace.
Though time stole much, it couldn’t sever,
The love we found at last—forever.