Mr. Showed-Up

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
Tuesday, October 17th, 2023.
The alarm at 5:45 AM, silenced.
He calls the office from the kitchen,
voice steady: "Personal day, unexpected."
Coffee in the thermos, black, no sugar.
Keys to the old Subaru, mileage at 112,347.
The driveway gravel crunches under tires.

[Chorus]
The hand on the shoulder,
heavy with what words can't carry.
Presence like an anchor in the storm,
no speeches, just the weight of being there.
Frank's father, eyes rimmed red,
feels the palm through his wool suit jacket.
Silent solidarity, the truest eulogy.

[Verse 2]
Interstate 90, crossing from Massachusetts to New York.
Two states, three hours, forty minutes.
Rain slicks the windshield, wipers on intermittent.
He passes the sign for Albany at 8:22 AM.
Thermos lid unscrewed at a rest stop,
steam rising like unspoken regrets.
The funeral home on Elm Street, parking lot half-full.

[Bridge]

No one asks him to speak at the podium.
He stands in the back row, near the tissue box.
The casket of polished oak, brass handles gleaming.
Frank's father turns, nods once, brief.
The hand extends, rests firm on the shoulder blade.
A squeeze, then release—no fanfare.

[Verse 3]
Drive back at dusk, headlights cutting fog.
Radio off, only the hum of the engine.
He thinks of the empty chair at dinner tonight.
The act complete, no receipt requested.
Presence, the quiet virtue that lingers.

[Outro]

The hand on the shoulder,
echoing in memory's hall.
Showed up, and that was enough.