• Daddy …
    What happened to you?
    I was on the sofa listening to the news,
    When I heard your tune,
    From your phone,
    On the upstairs bed.
    It reminded me of you daddy
    I miss you so much.

    You always told me,
    That everything was a gift,
    That hardly anyone took for granted,
    I was alone and scared,
    And I had fears building up behind me,
    Children screaming in my face
    At school.

    You were always so strong,
    You never seemed to fear,
    I never saw you cry,
    And you were never scared to try,
    You leapt from place to place,
    Never stopping,
    You never restarted your life.

    The nighttimes were the best,
    You would always tell me a story,
    Of a princess in a tower,
    Or a world so far away,
    Yet it seemed so near in your stories.
    I was a child again,
    Sitting on your lap,
    And I never cared what,
    Had been said during the day,
    You were always there.

    Then you were gone,
    Disappeared in the dust,
    No more sitting on the knee,
    No more bedtime stories,
    You were no longer there,
    For everyone and anyone.

    Mummy was up in your room,
    Packing your stuff,
    When the phone started to ring,
    With your tune on it.
    She picked it up,
    And listened to the voice message,
    This is what it said

    If I am gone,
    Then so be it,
    I lived my life to the full,
    And never looked back,
    I lived each day like my last,
    And enjoyed every moment.
    But remember this song,
    That played on this phone.
    Please remember,
    To live each day like your last,
    Because it’s a gift
    And not a given right …

    It sounded like my daddy,
    And guess what?
    He was right.
    He had been ill for a long time,
    But he always gave what he could.
    Now I am a parent,
    With some kids of my own.
    Yet I always keep this song,
    On your phone.
    Its my alarm each morning,
    And reminds so much
    Of what is
    And what isn’t
    And reminds me,
    I have the same rights,
    As the person next to me,
    Or the person I never meet,
    We deserve the same.

    ‘everyday is a gift and not a given right’