"Hello daddy, this is Mimi"
"This-is-Mimi, this-is-Mimi?" he said in a voice I could barely hear
"Yes Daddy, it's me. I just want to tell you how much I love you and that we're praying for you"
"I don't want you to give up, I want you to be strong, I'm sending you some medicine that's suppose to help"
"I wish I was there with you right now"
"Me-too, Mimi" he paused to take another labored breath
"I love you and I miss you"
"Don't-cry, if-you-cry-I-will-cry-too"

"Don't cry mama, your father won't die, nobody dies" Nina interjected

"Yes-listen-to-Nina-I'm-a-very-weak-man-now-Mimi. If- you-cry..." and he started crying.
"Okay, I'm wiping my tears, can you hear me? see, see? I'm not crying anymore" I lied
"There-is-a-grand-design. There-is-a-reason-why-and-God-will-decide"
"But I don't want you to give up, I want you to be strong, here, Nina wants to talk to you"
"Hi, grandpa"
"Hello-Nina-is-that-Nina?"
"I love you grandpa, you will live forever"
"Yes-Nina, I-hope-I-see-you-soon. I-hope-I-see-you-very-soon...."

A picture of you sits on my refrigerator 
galant,
with your navy suit and italian shoe
--you always dressed for success--
so who's this man I see
sitting in yellow scrubs by a hospital bed
head bowed down, thin and unrecognizable?
I search and I search
until those beautiful, long cigarette fingers caught my eye
--I remember being five, sitting on the floor by your chair
watching you speak, hands in the air and knowing I
wanted fingers just like yours--
now seeing them rest on the arm of a hospital chair
sends a jolt to my most fond memories
and I know, and I know
that's my father!

(Nina is my 4year old daughter who always finds something amazing to say ...and 'cigarette' is in red because my dad has cancer, he's only 54 years old)

 Copyright © 2008 by Bernice Angoh