All I ever wanted to know was where my dad is,
But now that I'm grown and over my own madness,
I feel that everything that never matter was the sadness.
I've become a person who is stronger because of his absence,
And luckily, the man who raised me was never hurt by me asking this.

Who was he and why did he leave me?
Where in the world could he possibly be?
Is it something I did wrong, or something he saw in me?
What did he see, that made him disappear so suddenly and flee?

But when I look back on my life,
Trying to understand what caused all of my strife,
I never consider the cause to be,
The one who took on the responsibility,
To care, nurture, and look after me.

Because without him, who knows where I'd be.

Not knowing my father is not something I could explain to my future daughter.
It is a void in my soul, a place that will forever remain far from whole.
Growing deeper and darker because of a man I never knew.
While the man who raised me will forever remain to be,
A shining light, rising higher and brighter
Burning inside me, becoming the fuel for my fire.

I hold no compassion for the man who left us behind,
Because I was saved by a real father, one stronger than any potential dad of mine,
A tangible fodder to my fire, to help me live on so one day I may die,
A better person because of my experience in life.
Far beyond any expectations, despite my former father's resignation.
I will forever hold one man in my heart, who taught me to always lead from the start.

I know who I was raised by,
And he will be my father for as long as I am alive.
And after, until the end of all time.

Rest in peace former father, for you are no patriarch of mine.