This piece is in honor of my sister, Rena Monroe, 
in memory of our father Harvey Nichols (1919 to 2011).  



I just had this converstion with Pop,
About the most beautiful things in life not having a price,
He spoke of having only a handful of friends,
The most precious of things don’t come gift wrapped
And of course he wished me happy birthday, 
Then it was Did you speak to your Sister,
I told him that I hadnt but I missed him,
So I sit here realizing that his complexity 
was that he was a simplistic man,
He had and innate ability to listen, discern and comprehend,
Which led him to being fair and evenhanded,
Recall him saying that "Real life is stranger than any fiction"
His desire in life was not fame but remaining a common man,
So he would often say things like 
If you make your bed hard you have to lie in that mother,
You don't have to do what your mother tells you 
but you have to respect her she loves you,
Mothers you only get one of them,
And if you're not going to give your best then why bother,
I've made many mistakes but the best decision I made 
was leaving you with your mother,
"You ain’t nothing like your father," but he’s proud of us
And as I think about my many gifts 
I know that Dad would cherish our relationship Sis,
So no I don’t need to take my medication, this piece is in celebration,
In honor of our father Sis I want you to know you are appreciated,
I can hear Dad saying, "I made many mistakes in this life. 
But my children- I did something right."