Happy Tears

Khê Kinh Kha

To my dear son Louis, with love

It’s about midnight, and outside darkness blankets ev’rything.
There was an elephant sitting,
On my chest, abundant pain and sweating,
Grasp for breath, I chewed down some aspirins.

911, ambulance at the door,
Like a cat, quickly move and act, 2 young gentlemen,
Kind and smooth, pressure checked, IV in vein.
Racing to St Francis ER, through the darkness curtain.

Room 106, RNs, Dr., assistance, and more, ready:
Pressure checked, temperature obtained, pulse counted, blood taken,
Chest X-ray, wires and tubes connecting, like a robot.
1 to 10 where’s your pain: eleven.

Louis, my son, by my bed, observing with anxiety
Worry written in his eyes, I can see.
5am, and I, lying there like a short-circuit robot.
Deeply concern, Louis still watching over me.

Turn on TV to push away my awe feeling
Louis curled up in the chair, completely consumed by tiredness and perturbation.
Suddenly, my tears wells up, rolls down, and wets my pale lips,
Taste like ocean water, I, too, love you, love you wholeheartedly, my dear son.

Words of God overcame my pain and I realized what the Lord implies:
“Whoever believes in me, will do the works that I do.” *
Love is not what one says, nor cites, nor recites,
But what one’s done that shows: I truly love you.

And love shall move mountains,
Brighten hope, sprout forgiveness,
Soften stone hearts, bridge differences
Exalt peace, enlighten darkness.

And love shall shed many happy tears, surely,
As I, an earthly father, in ocean of pain and in time of lowly,
Yet my happiness wells up with my tears, abundantly,
When the love of my son touched my soul so deeply.

How one would know for sure God won’t shed any joyful tears.
He is Love and He is Divine Father.
Have faith, He, too, shall cry out with happy tears,
When His children “do the works” that He does.

Khê Kinh Kha
(Jan 28, 18)

* John 14:12