A Daughter Away From Father Poem by Suki Nakamura

i am my father's only child,
his daughter away from him
as i have fallen in love with a man
in a foreign land, like a decent woman
i have to go and live with him
give him children, raise them,
and teach them
what love is
how love can separate daughters from their fathers
how love can take a woman away from her country
how love can take her away from home and friends and
kin,

i am my father's only daughter and now in his old age
he visits me and sees how my love has borne fruits for him
i have given him grandchildren whose cheeks are like peaches

he tells me to go back home
and continue what he is doing there

live in his house
take my inheritance
cultivate his garden
enjoy the sun with him
tend his trees and flowers
smell the leaves of teas
and be with him again
until he dies,

how can i?
i am already my husband's wife and my daughters' mother.

i am home.