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My Father Wrote Me Poems


In my mothers womb

I heard a voice talk
Unlike other infants
And to my mothers wrath,
It was my father sharing
Many of his thoughts.


One day about a prince
The other day about some frogs
But the best was only one
The one told everyday
About dolls and frocks.


As I grew from womb to school
He taught me how to dance
How to spell my name
How to walk
Everything…. [Memory fades away]


Then one night as I slept
I heard him softly walk away
I pretended to be asleep
And he preferred it that way
I guess he was scared
Scared, I would blame.


I never stopped him
And he never stayed
We slowly grew apart
And things began to change
I learned to live without him
To dance my own way
I even learned to write
Though our style's grew astray


Then one day
15 years from the last in womb
I sent him a poem
I wanted to know what he thought
If he thought I could rhyme


A year passed
And no reply
I gave up
But continued to write.


4th of June: Today


I opened up my mail
Scanning through birthday cards,
I saw his name
I wondered what it was about
Wishing it was “happy birthday”.


He had written a single word
The one I’ll never forget
Fairies dwarfs and little frocks
Can never correct that day


“Goodbye”, he wrote
Everything else left unsaid


My father always wrote me poems.
This was the last one he sent.

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