Tomatoes

He always said that he hates fruit,
Though always said that his favourite ‘vegetable’ was a tomato.
His floors, swept and mopped, my dad is invested in cleanliness,
Sometimes not knowing when to stop.
As if perfection would save him.
But we all know that it’s up to God.
And my dad insists that you need not go to church, so long as you praise him other ways.
He reminds me that God is all loving, and non judging.
My dad taught me what it is to love someone unconditionally.
Showing my mother what a man looks like,
Teaching my brother how to be one,
And allowing me to see what kind of man I will want one day.

He tells me stories,
From when he was my age,
Heartbreaking accounts of losing his parents,
But it teaches me:
Cherish the ones you love, and the ones who love you.