Bucktoothed-tomboy me and my dad a few months before he died
Please click play to hear my spoken word done to my own music written for the poem
What Child Can Know?…
(For my father on Father’s Day 2026)
In every old lady
there lives a little girl
In this old lady
she just got off the bus
coming home from 5th grade
and is standing in disbelief
surrounded by the cousins
she only sees once a year
while she’s being told
her mother wants to see her
upstairs in their room…
but she knows
and she knows
and she knows
her father has passed away
Not yet does she know
what that will really mean
how death is forever
and forever is eternity
what child can grasp
the concept of its finality?
Every Father’s Day
from now on until 80
she will wish he could
have seen, how alive
she lived her life
how she never forgot him
no matter where she was in the world
no matter what age,.,.she was…
she wished he could have been there in her life
so she could hug him each & every day
and every single Father’s Day and tell him
how she loved him.
In every old lady
there lives a little girl
In this old lady
she had no idea
that death would come
one night and rob her
of a father
and rob her of every Father’s Day
for the rest of her life
Because what child can know
what death really means
how death is forever
and forever is eternity
what child can grasp
the concept of its finality?
Every Father’s Day
from now on until 80
she will wish he could
have seen , how alive
she lived her life
How she never forgot him
no matter where she was in the world
no matter what age she was
she wished she could have had
him in her life
hugged him on each & every
Father’s Day and told him
how she loved him.
and told him..
how she missed him….
Karima Hoisan
June 21, 2026
Father’s Day
Costa Rica
Ooh, beautiful and poignant and so sad. He knows, I’m sure he knows…
(And the music is amazing; not at all what I would have expected to be behind these words, but it works perfectly.)
Actually, thinking of my dad (before the poem) is what sent me to Garage Band to see if I could compose something for him… and this is what came out and as mostly always happens, the music brought forth my words. Thank you so much Dale… I am feeling very nostalgic this Father’s Day.
The music fits so perfectly with your words, punctuating them as you spoke. The repetition and your voice mixed together to create such a powerful piece. Sending you love ❤️
Thank you so much Bridgette for this beautiful comment. I am so happy. you felt the music fit perfectly…It came first…and then the words. Thank you too, for stopping by:)
Photos, words and verbal words shared. Beautiful dear Karima.
Thanks so much for listening and commenting John…Happy Father’s Day!
Beautiful Karima.
We miss our dads no matter what age we are.
Hugs xo
Definitely Maggie,,,it’s something we never grow out of…it’s pretty amazing how deep a childhood trauma can be. Big hugs
💙🫂
Can’t wait to listen to this Karima! What a special tribute and it sounds like a tear jerker! ❣️❤️💕
I can’t wait wait either Cindy..love your comments and perceptions…
🩷🩷🩷
Oh Wow, Karima what a heartbreakingly beautiful poem hearing your words, sharing your heart so openly and real. I can feel your words as a little girl having to face the ending of your dad at a time you couldn’t comprehend this was the end of physically seeing him and holding him til eternity and not being witnessed and seen for as a beautiful little girl and old girl that you are and how you shine on and off the page, my friend. It’s truly heartfelt with tears of sadness and joy for you everlasting love. He sounds like a wonderful man, my sweet and loving friend❣️💕💗
Thank you so much…your words touched deeply Cindy. He was fantastic, a Ukrainian refugee who became a dentist and married my high-society mother:) He won her over with his very good looks and wonderful sense of humor…I’m pretty sure I inherited mine from him altho my mother had one too. He was 50 when I was born and he cultivated my tom-boy by taking me riding, golfing and baseball & basketball games…I was always by his side(my mother was into playing Bridge hehe not sports:) I have only the best memories of him.🤗🤗🤗
Oh what a special connection and I love how they intermixed and you got the best of both worlds just cut way to short but rich with gifts of time together. That’s sooo special to have had that connection and love that you shared and such an example of what each person brings to a relationship in such a sacred union! I’m so happy you had that growing up. My relationship with my dad continues to have the many bumps which makes it quite challenging at times. ❤️💕❤️💕
Aww thank you again…I had fun loving parents..as you say, my dad passage in my life was just too short. Thank you Cidny…and yes a father who has lived a lifetime in your life…can have its challenges, especially at the end. 💕🙏🤗
You’re so very welcome and that is such a gift! You have it right! Create in, breathe out, let go! 💕❣️💕❣️
Oh I love this poem and your words Karima. Hugs. May your dad rest in peace
Thank you habibiti Sadje…inshallah Allah yirhamhu 🤗
Insha’Allah dear sister
I have to admit it was only after both my parents had passed away that I began to understand loss. Yes, when something happens and you realise you would have talked about it with your father, or both parents.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment David. Yes, those moments are when you miss them the most..and milestone moments, like graduation, marriage, birth of children….being a child when you lose a parent, puts you on a crash course study of death…I think the younger we are, the less we grasp the finality of death (at least here on earth) Some concepts are just over our head like…forever and never…
It’s a deeply moving poem, Karima, made even more touching by your heartfelt narration. The background music complements your words beautifully, adding to their emotional resonance.
“In every old lady
there lives a little girl…”
How true and profoundly touching those lines are.
Thank you so much Kaushal, for this comment, and I appreciate it very much. I’m so glad you enjoyed the music along with my recitation.. Yes definitely..
“In every old lady
there lives a little girl…”
I know this for a fact.. I am witness to this truth, from the inside out:):)
heartfelt & beautifully touching !🥰🥰
Thank you so much for listening my soulkin and for your comment…hugs you tight…🤗
Bet your father has watched you every moment from where ever he is … he knows you’ve lived life fully and knows your true love!
You do these tributes every so well
Thank you so much Kate..your words ..Inshallah… may it be so…I feel his presence and I hope you are right. Thank you listening and leaving me this comforting comment….Nice to have you back…even if just for sometimes.
This is such a sad and tender tribute to your father, Karima! I can’t even imagine what you went through.
Thank you Dawn…it definitely defined my life…and help make me a poet.