THE CONVERSATION I NEVER HAD…

“Mom, I know you’re no longer on this earthly plane,
But at times I’ve felt you challenge me again.
Coincidences can’t explain what has transpired:
The knowledge hidden for so long that I acquired?

“Were you happy when your sister met her brother?
She’d been all alone- now there were others.
Is that why I’d received the phone call from the past,
Which unraveled family secrets at long last?

“An old friend revealed the link behind the mystery,
Of a biracial marriage hidden in your history.
You had promised never to reveal the story,
When in the Orphans Home back in Victoria.

“Your mother must have been in desperate straits
She’d changed your names to hide your Chinese traits,
They’d never have allowed biracial children
Inside that stern white Protestant old building.

“Mom, were you pleased when I compiled the story?
Some of it is wrong for that I’m sorry.
Your grandson’s painting on the cover makes me smile.
I’m sure your parents loved each other for awhile!”