My father stayed away from hospitals and funerals
And sick people
And dead people. At 99
He dreamed of eternal youth
Still working, still driving
Still fishing
He had all his own teeth
15 fishing rods and a cart to transport them to the pier
He outlived his clients
As they died one by one
He typed his own letters
When he outlived his secretary
Did his own taxes
Played golf with the boys on weekends
When my mother got sick
He sent her to me on an airplane
Accompanied by a nurse.
He went to Macy’s for a new pillow
To celebrate his freedom and
Ate egg salad sandwiches for lunch
Which he cut on the diagonal
With studied precision.