To my Father;
I hope you found peace.
(May 6, 1941 – May 30, 1988)
🙏
I’m walking down the memory lane…
I see the classroom full of familiar faces;
Cheerful voices bouncing off the vibrant walls.
The scent of lilac and the lime tree flowers fill the air.
Old memories appear,
as I vividly remember my early school day years.
Always eager – yet no matter how hard I tried,
I never made it among the first few shining stars.
Good enough and never the best.
I tried hard; yet somehow – that very moment,
when time ran out and I had to hand over the test,
all the solutions suddenly appeared in my head.
Easy and clear – without fear.
At the point when it was too late
to make any addition or change.
Those were my school days.
Nettlesome demeanor, messy hair, and lack of flair.
Until my fourth grade – unsure how or why –
it was one of those unusual,
‘out of the blue moments in time’.
That was the year when I thought.
the Universe danced, spinning ’round my head!
Elected president of the year,
graduating as an A student at last.
For the very first and the last time.
I was among the best ones in the class!
I wanted to make you feel proud of
what I considered to be the very best version of me.
Yet, before the 4th school year came to an end,
before I could bring you the accolade,
your body lay cold, in the earth’s embrace.
I tried hard but the forces were not aligned,
Fate did not allow me to make you feel proud
of your 10-year-old victory girl in real time.
I sometimes wished I had a magic wand.
And so it was.
A family with a missing father.
Left behind was a dissolving clan of four,
a few broken hearts,
some unfinished business,
and shattered dreams.
With plenty of vigor and vitality to carry on.
Our faces have changed,
our voices have softened,
and every year the Spring returns
infused with fragrant blossoms.
I am proud of how far we have come,
all that we have done,
and all we have become.
