You won’t read this dad, I know,
but I will write it anyway.
You never made a fortune,
in this world where men
seek after riches and fame;
you were never heard of as a hero;
you gave me neither eminence nor wealth,
but you gave me blood untainted with vice,
and opulence of undiluted health.
You were honest and kind;
clean in heart, body, and mind;
thus making me a heir
to these priceless riches.
You were my most important influence.
You didn’t tell me how to live,
you lived and let me watch you do it.
You never scolded; and as for the rod, well,
you never spared it no doubt,
but it landed with love,
as you showed the tender sympathy
of the God you served the entire life
that I can remember.
You taught me by your example,
the value of hard work, good judgment,
punctuality, courage and integrity;
you taught me that true wealth is
never material but character.
Many times the memories
freely flow from my eyes;
memories of the fifty two years
that we lived together,
the sacrifices you made
to place food on the table,
a roof over the heads, and
shoes on the feet.
All I have are the memories
and your picture in a frame;
that unique laughter, that inspiring smile
that caring heart, that warm embrace and
the times we shared.
Sometimes the sweet memories
roll down the cheeks in strings;
memories of your great love
for mom and us your children,
during our troubles, and our joys;
when we celebrated our successes;
through good and bad times;
no matter what,
are vividly engraved in my mind.
It is now six years today
since darkness replaced
the sunshine in your eyes;
when you went to celebrate
your well-lived life here on earth
with the angels in Heaven.
My life has changed a lot since then;
it has been difficult to walk,
without your shadow in the background.
You, however, taught me
perseverance and patience,
and so I have marched onward;
with the belief that you continue
to watch down on me
like a guardian Angel;
I have devoted myself
to actualize your dreams,
to fulfill those dreams
that you never achieved,
so that, hopefully,
I can make your soul smile
as it continues to rest in peace.
Say hi to my mum; your only wife,
who went to Heaven
two and a half years ahead of you;
Say hallo to my sister, your daughter,
who met her maker
thirteen years ahead of you.
Also, send greetings to my brother, your son,
who God called eight years ahead of you.
It is my presumption that
by the time you arrived in Heaven,
they had already made
the room and bed
ready for your occupation
in God’s kingdom.
As you continue to rest in peace
just know that
if I forgot to show my
gratitude enough
when you were alive,
I thank you now.
But I guess you knew all along,
how much you meant to me.
May God be with you till we meet again.
