I hug you as often as I’m able,
joke with you as much as I can,
but years of American wonder have warped
my Urdu lehja1, my Pakistani soch2.

Papa, please know
that all the seconds we spend in silence,
all I am doing is seeking, chasing after
the right lafz3, the best cheezain4
to stay by your side.

lehja1 = accent | soch2 = thinking | lafz3 = words | cheezain4 = things