I haven't written in a while, but I was just thinking about my grandpa and wrote a poem. I apologise if it isn't the best, I was crying a bit while writing it. A bit of a backstory: My grandpa passed away 2 years ago, right before my end of year exams. He lived in a different country and spoke a language that I never bothered to learn. I think about him quite often and finally decided to do something about you. In my parents' culture, they burn gold and silver paper, paper houses and money for the dead. I decided to write a letter for my grandpa, so this poem is kind of based of that.
dear grandpa, hello, it’s been a while since i’ve reached out to you but i just wanted to say a few words. i am so sorry for not learning your language not crying enough not appreciating you and your love never being able to say ‘i love you’ in a way you’ld understand. and i miss you, i really do. and sometimes i like to just imagine an alternate universe in which you didn’t die a couple of years ago. you would of seen me get my gcse results and you wouldn’t understand my words but you would see my smile and my tears, and you would be happy for me. i would learn your language and i would call you, crying, ‘i got a bad score in science today’ i would say, and you would reply ‘that’s fine. it doesn’t make you any worse. it just means you can improve’ and we would say ‘i love you’ and then ‘goodbye’. and i would be there right at your deathbed. i would be crying and you would ask ‘why are you crying, granddaughter?’ and wipe my tears away. i would kiss your forehead and say my goodbyes while the heart monitor slowed to a stop. and in this alternate universe we would have so many memories. and in this alternate universe, i would look at the polaroids of us together and smile. you would be looking down at me, and you would smile too. i love you so, so much, your granddaughter.