Duty and loss

He can’t open the pop-top can
or pull the roll of strapping tape
to secure the boxes
that contain an entire lifetime.

I bite back the bitterness
the anger
the hurt
the loss
the resentment
as I open the can
as I secure the boxes
as I put away a lifetime.

Reminded on a regular basis
that I was never the favorite
that I was never thought of
that they were wishing for another
to be holding their dry and papery hands.

A friend asks, “What is duty?”
Duty is simply what you do
because you have to
because otherwise the loss
is all your own.