A response to 'Tatz' by Ku‘ualoha Ho‘omanawanui
A lilac gerbera daisy
sits on my wrist -
not for genealogy
but for remembrance.
August 10th, a
dark day
The day my Nana
passed on.
One of the women who
raised me
left this Earth.
Lilac, the colour of her kitchen cupboards,
her favourite colour.
Gerbera, the large daisies spread in her garden,
her favourite flower,
meaning happiness.
Watching, seeing her struggle to breathe,
it made me determined to get a tattoo,
To remind myself to never forget
the happy memories of my Nana,
a strong
a stubborn
a smiling woman.
The lilac gerbera was not my first idea.
I originally planned to get her name -
Joyce.
Instead, I got the perfect symbol,
a lilac gerbera.
If I ever have a daughter,
Her middle name will be
Joyce
To honour the woman who gave me reason
to get a tattoo
and to live life to the full
Because as Nana said,
Live today, because you might not be here tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment