Unsaid

He walked back from school
Carrying a heavy bag behind
Kicked a stone across the road
Not a single thought in his mind

He turned round the corner
To the street he knew so well
Where he learnt to ride his bicycle
There was the spot where he first fell

Something was different today
The atmosphere changed abruptly
There were cars parked all across the street
People stood near his house quietly

He walked into the house
His eyes clouded with confusion
Crossing the herd of men and women
Looking at him with compassion

He called for his mother
To ask her what was wrong
She came out of nowhere
To hug him hard and long

He realised she was crying
His heart started beating faster
And that was when he noticed
The lifeless body of his father

Perplexed he entered his room
With his mother close behind
She held his hand in hers
Her eyes with tears did shine

She explained to him
That his father had left ’em all
And that while fixing the antenna
On the roof he had a bad fall

She didn’t say much after that
Words were difficult to come by
Her lips quivered
She couldn’t help but cry

He stood there numb
As his mother left
Alone in the darkness
Feeling betrayed and bereft

That was when he remembered
The moment last night
When his father had entered his room
To tuck him in and wish him good night

‘I love you son’, he had said
Now he wished he had tried
To voice his feelings, but
‘Good night dad’ was all he replied

How he wished he had spoken
Spoken out his mind
But now he had lost his chance
If only he had more time

To let him know how he felt
To tell him what he meant to him
To thank his own Superman
To thank him for every single thing

Memories of his father
Flashed through his mind
Of the evening football games
And the delicious barbecue nights

From helping him with his science project
And baking him his birthday cake
To teaching him how to fish
Down in the nearby lake

His father was always by his side
When he was sick and weak
Remembering that man he loved
Brought a tear down his cheek

Tonight he will say it
Before going to bed
Hoping that his father would hear
What he had left unsaid.