Father And Daughter Poem by Suki Nakamura

on a chair father sits
and daughter sits on his lap
mother is away
and father whistles a song

it was a long time
and mother dies earlier
than father

the daughter sets on a sail
far away
no one knows where
but everyone remembers

the talk becomes the official story
of the town
pretending to be happy just like any other
town in our history

the father dies and daughter
comes back
bringing the flowers
she lights a candle
she sheds no tears