You Think You Know Someone…
then they manage to surprise you, even in death
When I eulogized my father in late June 2021, I spoke about personally carrying on his legacy of love and understanding. I have since realized I’ve unknowingly inherited one of his hidden attributes as well.
I viewed my dad as being many things — a fighter, a family man, a hard-ass— but never a creative writer. He was intelligent, no doubt, yet not a wordsmith in my mind. His dream career was in biology, and he ended up settling for Wall Street’s drudgery instead.
Following his passing, I came across a love letter/poem he wrote for my mother when they were young. I didn’t know what to expect from it at all, and was completely blindsided…
It put to shame any work of similar subject matter I’ve ever written! Furthermore, it made all of my writings look like amateur hour in comparison. “Yo…get the f — …I can’t belie — ” was all I could sputter to my brother-in-law as I read this composition in shock.
The note begins with an admission of jealousy on my dad’s part and an apology; a pen-pal of my mom wrote her a complimentary verse (pen-pals were the social media friends of their day). In turn, my father felt inclined to write a competing sentimental piece to her, himself.
