The Last Christmas Card

I remember when I got the call,


“You need to come home…


“Your dad took a turn for the worse.”


I nearly dropped the phone.

.

Packing my bags in a furry,


my gut told me this was really true.


I am going to lose my Dad,


his time on Earth is overdue.

.

Thanks to COVID travel precautions,


it took me two days to get home.


I worried that he was going to pass any moment,


so my mind began to roam.

.

I made it to the hospital in record time.


Walking into your room,


I smelt sweat, antiseptic, and urine.


The sorrow began to loom.

.

I’ve smelt those stenches before,


considering my previous line of work.


I knew in my gut what was happening,


as the knots in my stomach began to lurk.

.

Suddenly, our differences no longer mattered.


We butted heads, had hard moments,


we yelled at each other,


but, today was our atonement.

.

I held your hand through the night,


knowing my sisters were asleep,


I wiped the sweat from your brow.


Each time, I felt my heart weep.

.

In the morning, I knew it was the day.


You were going to die.


I told my sisters the best,


but I knew they were lies.

.

I wanted to protect them,


and protect you too. 


You celebrated life and chose this


day to leave us out of the blue.

.

It was a beautiful day.


Sunny and cold, but today was for you.


Just a few days before Christmas,


I knew you’d see this through.

.

Christmas was your favorite holiday.


Some of my best memories are this time of year.


All because of you and mom,


you brought your daughters holiday cheer.

.

I wept at your funeral,


but remembered what you said:


“Celebrate my life


and not my death.”

.

I was composed at your burial,


although it was tough.


I still had a few grudges,


but I moved past them even though it was rough.

.

I returned afterward,


driving back home.


Each mile sucked, but I knew


this story was part of your tome.

.

Trying to return to normal life,


I opened the mailbox


but in my hands,


was an absolute paradox.

.

I held a Christmas card,


from you.


Various emotions,


started to ensue.

.

You managed to rip my heart open,


despite your recent death.


Flashbacks flooded me,


remembering your dying breath.

.

“I Love You,”


said the card.


With your fancy signature and kind words,


I realized my heart was marred.

.

Again, I reflected on our differences,


yet obscure.


Because your funeral


feels like a blur.

.

You’ve proven to me that love after death,


is wholesome and pure.


We had our differences,


but love endures.

This poem was originally published on Medium and CrystalsWritingRoom.