daffodils

after too much brandy,
meaning
half a bottle,
your father slips in the bathroom,
crushing his ribs
against the steel tub,
ripping down the shower
curtain of anchors and
starfish, blue and white,
he calls you from bed
and says, I think I did
it this time.
you ask him if he's seen
a doctor, if he can
get up to eat,
to go to the bathroom,
to which he answers
in all the ways he knows
you want to hear.
i'll be alright he says,
just a little too much
to drink, too much
Christmas cheer.
outside his window
the daffodils are blooming,
he tells you.
the ones he planted
on his old knees last year.