NaPoWriMo Day 15: Proud to be my dad’s daughter

NaPoWriMo Day 15:

Today’s prompt asks you to think about a small habit you picked up from one of your parents, and then to write a piece that explores an early memory of your parent engaged in that habit, before shifting into writing about yourself engaging in the same habit.

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Here’s my humble attempt at praising my Dad’s habit 🙂

Poem: Proud to be my dad’s daughter

Humility, commitment, focus, gratitude

Hard work, discipline, compassion are a few

I inherited and imbibed a lot of traits from my parents

But above all was their habit of offering daily prayers

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Everyday, when Sun hadn’t even dressed up to sheen

My dad would be up in the wee hours as a routine

No exercise, no walk, no news, no talk

A quick hot bath and praying he would be seen

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He’s no priest, no padre nor a preacher

But an ardent follower of Sikhism, a true believer,

Rainfall, hailstorm, illness or late night,

Nothing could ever prevent him from his prayer forthright

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“Did you say your daily prayers?” he would often check with us

His way of ensuring, we followed his footsteps

Probably the reason, he adorned me with such a name,

Which means “a prayer”, the only way to sustain

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I believe in God, His presence I feel beside me

I offer my prayers; I know He’s watching over me

But to follow a routine of early morning offerings

I’m too far from that; I’m still wandering

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A tiny drop of the ocean, I feel in front of my dad,

As for more than fifty years, he’s obeyed this routine

Mesmerized I am, with his level of commitment

Truly blessed I feel, to have him as a parent!

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©Vandana Bhasin

15.04.2021