This Father's Heart (Ode To Abigail And Gabriella Harris) Poem by Maurice Harris

I oft ponder what it will be like, when
You and I finally meet again;
Only in photographs have I seen you grow,
Only what I remember of you do I truly know-
You are both a beautiful, yet enigmatic mystery!
We share so much, but hardly a history-
I may only see you now when I dream,
Or perhaps, when I ruminate under the Moon's beam
Of how different my life would now be,
How much more beauty I would now see-
If only I were so fortuitous, indeed, so blessed
As to still have you in my life- I have obsessed
About how to affect the same for many days,
Yet, I have hit dead ends in so many ways!

So long as, in my body, there is breath-
So long as I remain on 'this' side of death,
I shall never cease, nor surely forfeit;
This Father's heart will not allow that I forget
That no matter where you may now be,
You need me, though you may now not see,
As I, the import of our most unique connection;
I have had the benefit of much introspection,
Where all that I may be for you, I have pondered.
Believe me, my beloved, I have wondered
About you every single, solitary day!
The burden of this Father's heart, you can not allay;
Alas, though the estrangement is not of out choosing,
You and I are the only three people that are losing!

My beloved Daughters, though I know not how,
I made myself a promise, and to you, I avow:
'No rest, nor peace shall come my way,
Unless and until, I see the day,
Where I gather the solace of your embrace,
Where you and I, at last, are again face to face;
There is no compromise, nor is there debate-
I shall be the one to determine our fate! '

'When you are prime, both in spirit and mind,
You will know the story of how you came to be 'left behind'-
I assure you, the tale that you have been offered
Is nowhere near the truth, as the facts shall bear-
We are each carried in the other's heart, safely coffered-
Though we have been apart, we have always been there! '