A MOMENT

Stop, my Love
Let me capture this moment
In the palm of my hand
Hold it tight
And let it not pass
For this moment is ours
And ours alone

Let me frame it
In my eyes
Store it
In my mind
Hide it
In my heart

Feel it. Relive it,
Treasure and cherish it
For this moment is ours
And ours alone

A TRIBUTE TO MY DAD

In the stillness of my silences
In the middle of a crowd
In the quiet of the night
In the midst of a rushed work-day
It suddenly strikes me like a searing pain
That I will never ever see you again.

You will never walk down my office stairs
With all the news you want to share
You will never again show off your brand new car
With the glowing pride of a brand new dad

You will never again call me every Sunday
Or laugh when I wish you a Happy Father’s Day
You will never again bring me childhood relics
My school notes. Some tattered photos. My old diaries

You will never again give me a loving smile
Or look over your specs with a twinkle in your eye
Never again will you try to build bridges between others and me
Mend my broken heart or strengthen relationships.

How heart-wrenchingly final are the words “Never Again”
Filled with regret. Filled with pain.
How I wish I could have you back!
How I wish I had made more of the time we had!
I wish I had told you how much you meant to me
How knowing you’re there, made me feel…

Time, they say, will heal the wound, erase the pain
But I wonder if I’ll stop missing you ever again.

(This poem was written just a few days after my dad passed away. A perceptive friend remarked that she could actually feel the tears in the poem...)