"I cannot say, and I will not say that he is dead. He is just away." - Kasey Drayton's tribute to her father

I read - through tears - this beautiful tribute [below] left by my friend Kasey Drayton for her recently deceased father. It was to be his 75th birthday last week, and it was a poignant, sad time.

Kasey posted it online, with this beautiful photo of her father and her daughter.

"I cannot say, and I will not say
That he is dead. He is just away.
With a cheery smile, and a wave of the hand,
He has wandered into an unknown land
And left us dreaming how very fair
Its needs must be, since he lingers there.
And you - oh you, who the wildest yearn
From the old-time steps and the glad return,
Think of him faring on, as dear
In the love of there as the love of here.
Think of him still as the same. I say,
He is not dead - he is just away."

Share this beautiful poem if you think it will help someone today.

It spoke to me; I lost my father 27 years ago and while the pain has subsided somewhat, in the moments I remember him [daily], reading this lifts my spirits.