Unexpected Flashback

An instant only it was
But vivid
As flashbacks can be
And I was again
A child
Vulnerable
My father striding toward me
Swinging a Bible in one hand
And a belt in the other.

A blink
It was only a man
Carrying a book
So I smiled
And told him he looked like my dad
On a Sunday afternoon
He smiled
And thanked me

I'm continually amazed
By the images stored
In childhood
Kept safe
To resurface
At the weirdest times