And when my dad said,
“You’ve gotta be shitting me,”
he meant, “I love you.”
And when he exclaimed,
“Christ on a bike,”
he meant, “I love you.”
And when he said,
“Turn off the TV,”
he meant, “Turn off the TV.”
And when he said,
“No,” I knew
he meant, “I love you.”
It was, in fact, easy
to translate, though sometimes
I didn’t like the native tongue.
But I felt that love in every word,
the love beyond syntax
love beyond lexicon,
love big enough to hold
us both for a lifetime
and then be passed on.
I’m sorry for your loss of him, and I’m glad for the love-infused-memories he’d left in you to hold … and be so told.
It is a gift to have a father as that.
Thank you for sharing some of its translation with us.
Na’ama
thank you dear friend … i am happy to say he is still alive! AND i have love-infused memories, i love the way you say that! xo
OOOOOOH, yay! Sorry for assuming wrong. Glad to be wrong (Sometimes …) 😉
Rosemerry, this is so very cool! “Christ on a bike” – that’s a new one. And, it’s funny to me that, of course, it means “I love you.” I bet your dad is a hoot! Hope it was a wonderful Father’s Day today. Love and Namaste
My father is, indeed, a hoot. He only said that when he was very angry. but even in the heat of anger, I never ever doubted he loved me. xo