My Dad

... Ellaeenah

In his favourite armchair, Dad would sit,

Reading the paper, bit by bit.

Or listening to music, soft and low,

As the day passed in its routine flow.

The TV would play nearby,

The quiet hours drifting by…

A man of few words, soft and wise,

With love that showed in his heart and eyes.

Self-made and steady, he made his name,

And gave wisdom and care to all who came.

Soft-spoken, kind, with a generous heart,

He kept the family close from the start.

He had his jokes, his funny little lines,

The kind that still come back at times.

A dad joke here, a quick little quip,

A smile would rise from his quiet lips.

He loved long drives and holidays away,

With all of us together, that made his day.

Family meant everything to Dad,

And those are the memories I’m grateful we had.

His grandchildren loved him, even when grown,

For the quiet strength he had always shown.

They respected him deeply, admired him too,

For the man he was, and the love they knew.

Then came the years he slipped from reach,

To somewhere far beyond our speech.

A quiet fog, both soft and slow,

Drew him in where we could not go.

He knew his mind was slipping away,

And knew he could not make it stay.

His love still reached us, clear and true ...

He never stopped knowing us, loving us too.

Though years have passed since he left our sight,

His love still stays, steady and bright.

In music, laughter, and places we knew,

Dad, all of these bring me back to you.

From you I learnt steadfastness, day by day,

To carry responsibility in a quiet way.

Loyal and faithful, as you stood by us all,

With duty and love at the heart of it all.

I carry your guidance through each passing day,

Your words still help me find my way.

For love like yours never truly departs,

It lives forever inside our hearts.