She was only twelve years old, he was only eighty

She wasn’t close enough for her, but she was his little baby

Every year, she jumps on the plane, and can’t wait to see his face

Hear his laugh, rise in his prayer, feel his warm embrace

The year of her bat mitzvah, celebration in the air

They told her Saba isn’t well, with just another moment to spare

Confusion arose, her heart fell to her toes, and she wondered what could be wrong

Why her Saba isn’t here to lift her heart in song

Drowned in pneumonia, tears and fate, he struggles to open his eyes

She tries to get closer to the hospital, so he can soothe her cries

When she arrives, can’t believe her eyes, but Saba’s still holding on

So she runs to his side and takes his hand, and sings him his beloved song

She feels his grip tighten; she opens his eyes, and finds that he did the same

She feels a grin stretch on her cheek, but his eyes force happy to tame

Swirling with knowing, compassion, and love, he grips to handles of life

He attempts to throw her a nice, weak smile, and that washes out all her strife

She says that she missed him, his eyes talk to her; they say that he missed her too

He tells her to promise not to cry, what must be done, he has to do

She promises, but crosses her fingers, because she knows her eyes won’t come dry

And at the same time, in the position he’s in, she feels awful telling a lie

Another day, another week, a blink of an eye and he’s gone

Her big day sliding close, and she promised to him she’d move on

To this I’ll stay true, Saba, if it wasn’t for you, I couldn’t have got through this day

And as I stare at the seas, I laugh to my knees; I knew you wouldn’t have gone away

He slipped from his body, and into my heart, to a place where now, he belongs

A place that’s closest to my love and it’s easier to hear his songs

And as I drift into a sleep, I hear his voice in my head

And if he somehow escapes my heart, he visits me when I visit bed

His loving gaze, his warming smile, stays with her when she sleeps

His open arms and blazing love are some of the things she keeps

And instead of Mommy barging in when hearing cries in the night

She feels him there, stroking her hair, and her grinning lips are shut tight