“For Pelaiah"
Love, Dad
I do not see your face these days— Not in the way I wish I could. But in my mind, you still remain As bright as dawn in shadowed wood.
I miss the sound you used to make, The tiny laugh, the honest tears. And though you're far beyond my reach, You're not beyond my love, my dear.
The world has drawn a line, a wall, And silence now is what I hear. But still I talk to you at night, And whisper, “Pelaiah, I’m near.”
You did not choose this bitter space, This hollow stretch of missing years. But know this truth, beneath the ache: My love has never disappeared.
I carry you like sacred flame, No court can dim, no time erase. You are my heart, and just the same, You live in every empty place.
If one day soon or far you read These lines I scrawled beneath the moon, Know this, my girl: I never left. And I have prayed we'd reunite soon.
Until that day, I hold you close— In memory, dream, and solemn vow. I love you still. I always will. And I am loving you right now.
