Ode to my father

 

June 6, 2017
Thirty four years have gone by
Sometimes I seem to forget how you looked
But like the lingering smell of the 555 cigarettes you smoked,
Your image has always been part of my thoughts

You were a man of few words
Just enough to convey the message
Sometimes I seem to forget how hard you worked
Every time I go for a movie, though it is not the Rex and Lido
I remember you buying me packet of Kuachi, before ushering me in

Thirty four years!
Seems it was not too long ago,
When I used to carry your lunch in a Tiffin carrier
Seems it was not too long ago,
When I learned to forge your signature on the report books
Seems it was not too long ago,
When my sister and I were your masseurs after a long day’s work
Seems it was not too long ago
When mom and you were whispering to each other

I am just slightly older than you were when you left us
Hoping that I too can leave a lasting positive mark on my kids
When my day comes to join you

- S.T. Arasu