Dear Dad

 Dear Apa, I write to you in whispers of dawn,

Your laughter still lingers where the sunlight has shone.

The echoes of your footsteps dance in the hall,

A memory so vivid, I feel you through it all.

Your hands, strong as rivers, gentle as rain,

Built worlds around me, shielded me from pain.

In your eyes, I saw courage, a sky vast and wide,

A compass, a harbor, where I could always hide.

Dear Apa, do you remember the nights we would talk?

Underneath stars, along our long familiar walk.

Your stories, like magic, stitched dreams into me,

Taught me how boundless a small heart could be.

Even now, I sense your voice in the breeze,

A melody that hums through the whispering trees.

“Be kind, be brave, be honest, be true,”

Every lesson, a torch, lighting what I do.

I remember your hands gripping mine in the rain,

The warmth of your presence, easing my pain.

Even when distance stretches, unseen and long,

Your love is the rhythm that carries me along.

Dear Apa, the world feels bigger when you are near,

Smaller, softer, when I hold your memory dear.

I write to you now, though you may be far,

Your spirit guides me, like the northern star.

Time moves onward, relentless, yet sweet,

But the bond we share will never admit defeat.

So here in my heart, you forever reside,

Dear Apa, my mentor, my hero, my guide.

Even as seasons drift and years slowly fade,

Your love remains, an unending cascade.

And I promise, with all that I am, I will strive,

To carry your light, to keep your dreams alive.