You Can't See the Strength

When my Mom left my Dad
In the winter of 2002
I thought about staying home
Instead of going to college
Because I was scared
That without someone in the house
My Dad would subsist on a diet
Of Domino's pizza
And microwaveable macaroni

He told me to go
He said he'd be fine
He promised to learn
How to turn on the oven

So I left

A week later he lost his job
The only thing he had
That still made him
Feel productive

I wanted to come home
But he told me to stay at school
He said he'd find another job
And he reported that with all his newly acquired free time
He might even figure out
How to boil water

I won't lie to you
I was pretty sure
That my dad was going to fall apart

He lost his wife
He lost his job
He lost his son

All within a few months

But the funny thing about my Dad
Is that in many ways
He's an invisible man

Because while I was at school
Imagining him falling apart
My dad was at home
Putting his life back together

When I came home
I found a man taking classes at the local community college
Leaning to speak sign language
Refinishing furniture
Eating Domino's pizza

Admittedly the whole cooking thing
Didn't really work out for him

But he was still going

Life had taken a swing at him
And he swung back

I said, 'Dad, I never would have thought you'd be capable of this'

He said, 'Kid, when you look at me, I know you see a helpless slob with two different socks, but remember that when you look at ANYONE, you can never see their strength.'