Daddy

A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride
Refuses to conform to modern society
Complaining of how unnecessary and bothersome they are.
He longs for the good old days when things were simple,
When he used to walk to school instead of relying on cars,
When family values meant respecting all elders despite whatever grievances.

A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride
Never finished high school, yet forced to become a teacher when war came to stay.
To make up for lost time he buries himself in books,
A collection so vast, even the experts would be impressed.
For a young girl like me it was a room filled with magic
For sitting on father’s lap, would always take me to places beyond my imagination.

A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride
He opened my eyes to the beauty of the world,
To people and places of all types and creed.
‘We are one,’ he’d say, beneath the moonlight and stars.
‘Never forget that, my little baby girl.’
‘Many hardships might come your way, and you will cry along the way
‘But you will make it through, you’ll see, because I have all my faith in you.’

A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride
No longer a girl, but now a young woman
Who can only watch the hours tick by as the years become unkind to him.
His vision is no longer as good as it used to be.
The books gathering dust in the shelves beside his lonely shadow,
Now, he has to rely on my voice as I try to take him to all the places beyond his imagination.

A stubborn mule he has been called,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride.
For I long to be like him someday,
To say to the world that ‘I’m still here.’
Until the good Lord decides to take him home
I will be by his side, and hold my breath and say a prayer
While I watch him fight to live yet another day,
This father of mine with his unshakeable pride.
A stubborn mule he will always be called.

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Notes: It was hard not to get emotional while writing this. My father means the world to me and it really hurts to know that he's going blind due to glucoma. He's an avid reader and taught me all that I know today. One can only imagine the pain he's going through not being able to do what he loves anymore. The hours tick by slowly. It's really only a matter of time.