That Ghost

From 1999.

there’s that ghost in your face —
the ghost of your mother

beloved ice mist peeking
from underneath the skin so clearly

in one frozen second
your father sees it and gasps

covers his face
before your twin images

as light plays into
the planes along your nose

a shadow covers
your own face

her face seeps through
before everything goes finally dark

you carry so much of her inside you
it’s no wonder he refuses to speak with you

at certain times when he is lonely for her
the heart can only take so much

there can only be so many reminders
before it breaks completely