How Do You Tell Your Beautiful Child

^How do you tell your beautiful child? That you watched play and run so wild. You promised to love and to protect, To teach them kindness and respect. The closer that awful day draws near, You know you must surpass your fear. You must be strong, be brave, stand tall, They can’t hear it elsewhere, after all. So driving there that terrible day, You try to find the words to say. A warm hello, a hug and a kiss, Reminds you of all, that you will miss. Your eyes swell up, tears start to fall, Already losing your self-control. “What’s up, Dad? My God, what’s wrong?” You hug them tight and hold them long. You try to recompose yourself somehow, And whisper “I’ve got to tell you now.” “The tests that I had recently, Came back rather negatively.” “The doctor says that I have cancer,” Then came the question I lied to answer. “Does that mean that you will die?” “Oh no,” said I, looking at them in the eye. “It means that I need to do more tests, Live healthier and get some rest. When the tests are done we will see, What treatment will be best for me.” “So will you have to stay in the hospital?” “Well maybe, but not for long at all. There are lots of things I don’t know yet, But I’ll have the best doctors, I can get.” “I just felt I had to tell you and share, I didn’t want you to hear it somewhere. So now you know, let’s move along, Let’s have a drink, and make mine strong.” So we sat to drink and chat, With questions about this and that. The tears dried up we even laughed, And reminisced about the past. It was probably the hardest day, I’ve ever had, by a long way. But looking back, it had to be done, Telling my beautiful Daughter and Son.