Keeping Mum

At nine years old

she’d never had a chance

to know her father.

Not to know about his life,

his personality,

or his dreams,

Only that he loved her

and had been frail and ill

all her life.

“She never even asks how her father is”,

said her mother’s friend disapprovingly.

Her mother must have told her that.

“They won’t tell me, so there’s no point

in asking”, she thought.

No!

I think she said!

They wouldn’t tell her why

he was in hospital.

They wouldn’t tell her why

he died,

not at nine years old,

not until years later

when they were all dead

and more voices could speak.