An ode to my father

A long time ago,
There was a young boy in despair.
His dad, he comforted him,
Banished all his fears.
Dried all his tears,
Held him close to him—
He never broke a promise,
Not a single one.

With his arms around his son, he said:
“There’s nowhere you can’t find me,
Nowhere that you can’t go.”
And the boy—well, he never forgot that,
No, he never looked back,
And he never felt alone.

Then came the trials,
Then came the pain,
The hard times followed,
And the days went on.
But the young boy held tight
To the words his father said,
And no matter how rough,
He never gave up.

Then came the good times,
Then came the laughs,
The joy, the laughter,
And the years rolled on.
The young boy, now a young man,
Kept close to his heart
The wisdom his father
Had given from the start.

He grew to be like his father, yeah,
And every step along the way,
He felt so proud.

As the years turned over,
And the young man grew older,
He pondered those words,
He’d heard so long ago.
“My father was right, in almost every way—
He always said: Son, don’t be a bully,
Always show the way.”

Now he’s become an old man,
But he never forgets those words:
“I’ll always be with you, son,
No matter where you are.”
And he says, “I miss you, Dad,
But I know you’re with me.
As long as you’re in my heart,
You’re always with me.”

And then he whispers those magic words:
“My dad, my superhero—
Yeah, he never gave up on me,
Although he always could.
He loved me all the time,
And always he will.
And I can hear him say:
Don’t you give up, son.”

Now he’s on his last legs,
And he remembers those nights—
When his dad would hold him close,
And banish all his fears.
With his head on my shoulder,
And his hand in my hand,
He might’ve been tough,
But he was always my man.

He trusted me well,
Helped me to stand—
When I was too weak to walk,
Too weak to go on.
From suffering to laughter,
From trials to joy,
Through the ups and the downs,
Through the slow, sad decay,
I wouldn’t be here, writing this today,
If it weren’t for him.

He’s my inspiration,
And ever he will be.
And I know I’ll see him again—
My dad, my role model, my Chungh (malayalam)!!!