How far is it, he said,
to Athol from here?
Not sure, I said, I could
look it up for you.

I am surprised at you,
he said,  a little of his fondness for me
starting to leak away.  I am surprised
at you.  You always used to know
your place on this earth
and almost exactly
how close or far it was to any town
within a hundred miles or so
of where you were standing.

Really,
I said, I’m sorry, I don’t remember that
at all.  I’m sorry I have disappointed you.
Ah, he said, won’t be the last time,
or the last time I forgive you either.
You’re my son and maybe you being lost
is my fault.  Not sure I’d know
where I was either
if I had to deal with me.

And with that he shut down and shut up
and we sat together while I tried to recall
how far it might be to Athol
and tore up my brain trying to figure why
that might be of such importance to him
now.