In the silence
in the nothingness
of the road
I could suddenly feel
the holiness
of my daughter’s face
of her spirit
and of her whole self
and I suddenly knew
while I was driving the car
in Illinois
down the road
with her sitting
silently
next to me
that I was sitting
next to an angel
a human angel
imperfect and stressed like the rest of us, yes,
and yet
angelic
nevertheless;
and it was only later
in a far field
when I was alone
that I allowed
the tears of gratitude
to fall
which are still tears.
And I can still
conjure up that feeling
at will
whenever I want to
wherever I am
and it’s worth
more
than all the empty
bank accounts
I ever owned.
And Someone
maybe the Stranger
is always hovering right
behind it all
in my mind.
– The Drifter, aka Dale Williams Barrigar, 12/31/2025
Saragun Springs 
Hello Drifter
Very moving and truly a fine tribute to kin. Also the image of your face contributes to the setting of the mood. Quite Zen.
Leila
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Leila
It’s funny how, sometimes, people who are a little older than us in actual years can suddenly appear, in a fictional guise, in a poem that is like a very short story that becomes a column that records an actual daydream morphed into an intense vision that reaches across a continent to connect two people by the unbreakable bond of art. There are many kinds of kinship in this world, and sometimes we feel more akin to those with whom we have no actual blood relations. This poem is about my daughters, for sure; but they are not the only one/s it’s about.
D
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Hey Drifter
I read this twice. Beautiful way with the words! This realization while driving in Illinois about your daughter shows it’s not about the destination in this life. It’s all the magic in-between.
I like how your writing engages the road, and these trips through the countryside.
The heartfelt emotion is strong and your words hit the soul!
At the end, the stranger adds a mysterious effect.
CJA
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