'The Father I Never Knew' Poem by MTHANDAZO SAMAL MKHWANANZI

A father's absence, a childhood pain,
A wound that's deep, a scar that remains.
You left when I was young, a toddler's age,
A separation that lasted, until your final stage.

I never knew you, not really, not well,
A few faint memories, a distant bell.
I searched for you in dreams, in fantasies and play,
But you were never there, and I was left to face the day.

Your passing came, when I was still so young,
A loss I couldn't grasp, a grief that was unsung.
I didn't know how to mourn, how to process the pain,
Of losing someone, I never really knew, but still felt a deep strain.

But as I grew older, I began to understand,
The complexities of life, the choices that you made, the plans.
I realized that you were human, flawed and weak,
That you did the best you could, with the tools you had to seek.

And though I still wish, that you were here with me,
I've learned to forgive, to let go of the pain and the misery.
I've learned to appreciate, the time we didn't have,
And to cherish the memories, of the father I never really had.