I have walked behind my father for many years,
Marveling at the broad expanse of his shoulders and the strength in his back.
As a child, my father was a veritable giant in my eyes
His shoulders stretching towards the horizon
And far beyond the reach of my own spindly arms.
Whenever he lifted me high onto his mighty shoulders,
the world unfolded before my eyes
I felt like a demi-god on the shoulder of a god, lifted to heights where my troubles could not follow.
Every sight and sound was a revelation and more than anything else, I felt like I was on top of the world.

As a teenager going through changes,
I still walked behind my father, like a son ought to do.
his back, a steady silhouette always loomed large in my vision
bearing the weight of untold burdens in stoic silence;
never shifting nor trembling under the unyielding demands of life, family and the sacrifices that needed to be made.
In those enduring shoulders,
I caught a glimpse of Atlas himself and I could sense the titanic strength my father, who carried his world without complaint or pause.

Now, as an adult, I stand taller than my revered father.
I see the world from a new vantage point and
my eyes, once filled with innocent wonder now glow with a refined yet fragile understanding.
My father still stands as a rock and a pillar in my world
yet now, i see the change wrought by the passing of time
I see the slight stoop to his back, the softened edges of once hard muscles
and the weariness etched deep into the lines on his back
sadness grips my heart and i ache for the figure of invincibility that he struck in the past
Yet, those same shoulders bear their old burdens still, proud and strong
If there is one thing time has done for me, it has brought me closer
in understanding and in strength to my father
And though i can walk beside my father, i chose to walk behind him, if ever so slightly to his left so that i can share the weight he bears
If there is one thing i am grateful for the passage of time, it is that i can ease the load on those steadfast arms and give my father rest in the twilight of his strength.
For all the years that he carried the world upon those shoulders, now it is my turn to share the weight.