Dear Father
I wrote a poem for you once
I wrote it to say the things my child’ s mouth couldn’ t say
I wrote it so one day you would feel something
I wrote it to set me free, I wrote it for you
I wrote it to so my mother’ s pain would
Shake the ground beneath your feet
So the ground below would swallow
Your mask whole and leave a man in his place
Worthy of the name father
I wrote it so you could wonder
About the daughter standing before you
Wonder how she could have grown so quickly
Wonder how you couldn’ t have been there to see it
I wrote it to break you
I wrote it to see if you could cry
I wrote it so see if you would try
I wrote it in the hope
That I could hold you
In my arms and fold perfectly into you
That we would fit together like we were meant to
And you would kiss my woman’ s cheek
And make me feel for once like your little girl
I wrote it for the possibility
I wrote it for me
I wrote it for the part of me, that loves you
I wrote you a poem
I sung it to you in sleep
So maybe one day
You would see your grandchildren
My children would sit upon your knee
And you would tell them proudly
Your mother, my daughter, once, wrote a poem about me