daddy, daddy, look! i wrote another poem.
oh. sorry, i forgot. you were never really home.
mummy always said
that boys will be boys-
but why did my daddy
keep the wrong toys?

he never once kissed me on the forehead.
i doubt his tongue could
produce one 'i love you.'
my father never ever sang me a single lullaby.
i bet he wasn't proud no matter what i'd do.

'when i grow up. i wanna be just like my daddy.'
everybody sang that
song at ages 5 and 6.
well look at me daddy! i'm a grown man now,
and if anybody tells me i'm like you, i get sick!

see, it's funny, the part
of you i remember best-
is your back. you were
always walking away.
but walking out on mummy was below the belt,
and for doing that, here's what i have to say.

thanks for walking out
on me, i could take it.
true, i cried, but 9 years
without you around-
created more room for
the thought of 'family;'
broken, but still standing. how does that sound?

thanks for the brains.
figures, chicks dig those
too.
oh! and, i didn't need you to learn to ride a bike.
i've dated before. my
mates gave me 'the talk.'
but i'm single now,
guess, it matters who
you like.

i have a nephew; lively,
bright. you saw him once.
emmanuel, he is your
first daughters only kid.
he makes me see what it is like to be a father.
now i know, there's no
excuse for what you did.

see, we didn't need
money, we didn't need
riches.
all we asked for was
care and your affection.
but the bottomline's, if
i'll ever walk in your shoes-
i hope i will be moving in
the opposite direction.

Keep Smiling