Paintings Of My Mind

Imagine if you will, a family photo
A husband a wife, two sons two daughters
A gathering of smiles in a park so green
Taken at a point when their time began

Then one day, the youngest departs
Rammed in an accident, the day she turned three
The doctors just sighed; she died on the way
And the worst was the fact, her father couldn’t see it!

Yet the family are one, the photo showed strength
Though trails of tears had left their eyes
They held each other so strongly so closely
But alas the five is now a four…

School day blues of the firstborn son
For the death of a cat, his tests were red
The father was hurt, but the boy hurts more
And because of a book, the son ran away

They’ve searched for him so high and so low
Yet forever they would lose, his cheerful laughter
And the smile of one who knew only the light
For a moment of anger, a lifetime of pain!

Still the years would pass, the family moved on
The second was eighteen, a college-bound girl
But the third was a waste, a victim of sorrow
He grew up in darkness, in hate and in drugs

But then a tragedy befalls them again
For though she was smart, her lover was not
A lowly, unemployed, sensitive and jealous
He made her life so wretched ‘til death!

Though now he’s hanged for what he had done
The memory of it was too much for her mother
And the fact that her son is one foot in the grave
She surrenders her fight, bedridded and grieving…

So now the photo is dark and so bleak
Of forlorn old man and his sickly old wife
And a son that is now neither here nor there
As they stood on their ground on a graveyard of dreams

And looking back in grief, the father mulled regret
Of how he had failed, to care and to lead
When all that he did was a pain to his family
He’d forgo all heaven for a chance to restart!

He held her hands as she frailly stood
While counting the days before her death
Watching as her son struggled in darkness
A withering shadow of a certain doom

Finally he vanished, on the eve of his birthday
Followed by his mother a day afterwards
He wails at the fact that he’s now alone
But still he stood in the photograph of woe

And now he himself is begining to fade
But still he feels the presence of his lost
Of his innocent child blowing her candles
Smiling as her brother strokes his cat

He mourns at his daughter as she gets her scroll
Kissing her mother like she always did
While her brother’s triumphant, his football trophy
Laughing and smiling amidst his teammates

For a moment the images of all his beloved
Appear around him in smiles and in laughter
Kissing his cheeks so warm and so tender
A surreal portent of a miracle to come

Finally his departed magically appeared
Smiling and standing around and together
Posing as a family that they should have been
Merrily as he thanked his God in his tears

And so the story now comes to an end
As the ethereal family now vanish from view
To live in a place beyond all reason
And to be in happiness for all eternity

And thus you have seen the paintings of my mind
The hymns in flames on the plain so gold
Of gracing skies of life for all times
And of fortitude of souls outweighing all fate...

SAIF MINTAKA
MUAR
2006