I WILL SURVIVE MY GRIEF

by Hassen Gara
(Tunisia)

Seasons change
Humans age
Leaves fall
Big and small
God gave us a warning
Nothing is everlasting
Not even the ones we dearly love
The ones our lives revolve around
Blown out by the rude winds
Drooping, withered lie dormant on the ground
One more leaf has fallen from my tree
Despondency weighs heavily on me
I can’t be so brittle, so fragile
Down in the dumps all the while
I must survive
The shock
The agony
The aching
The yearning
The pain of his parting
The long sleepless nights
My dilemma, my plight
I will recall everyday
The father I lost
In a different way
His willingness to be just and fair
His devotion and intense care
His broad laughter
His generous heart
His permanent encouragement
His spirit, his merriment
The love he made me feel
The sugary words that he used to heal
Any wound, any scar
No matter how grave they are
All these sensations I will recall
Within my memory, all in all
December 14th, 2015