Today marks exactly three years ,my Dad passed away. This morning as I woke up the events of that particular day just rolled down my memory’s lane. Painful at it is, I choose to dwell on all times we shared together and the lessons I learned from him. A lot of people who knew him celebrate him as a hero but he was more than that to my siblings and I. This poem is to his honor.
The Irish say when your father dies,
You lose your umbrella against bad weather
But with the tools you equipped us with,
We have stood our ground and tilled the fields of our lives
We have cultivated joy in place of sorrow
Gratitude in place of questions
Tears have been magically changed to smile
For the rainbow of the sweet fragrance of memories clear the clouds
Of shackled pain and anguish that trapped our hearts
We think about the fleeting years, too quickly, gone for good
It seems like only yesterday
The events drip down our memories like blood form an open sore
You were our shelter when Mummy passed on,
No matter what the storms of life brought down on you,
You held the tapestry of our lives together like the waft and weft in a loom.
And instilled in us the fear of the Lord.
Papa Gee, You taught us that hard work pays off,
And so the lives you tended now overflow
Like the banks of a never drying river
Our lives are bountiful
For you taught us how to give
In your firm and steadfast way
You taught us how to live.
Three years down the lane, we are all smiles when we talk about you
And all we can do is thank God for giving us a father like you.
