To: To my father, who left when I was four
ACT-based (Secular)
January 30, 2026
I have one photograph. You are holding me. You look terrified. I forgive the leaving. I am thirty-eight and the terror in that photograph is the first thing I recognize about you. Maybe leaving was the kindest thing the terrified version of you could do. Maybe not. I do not need to know to forgive.