I recall of him
One happy memory.
"You are my sunshine"
The song, he would sing to me.
Before the bottle took him
I would remain his 'little girl';
As well a child of his love
And very proud to be,
But as the years passed by
We would slowly drift apart.
No more pancakes on Sunday morning;
no longer would I feel
He was a part of me.
Sadly, he would no longer
hold a place in my heart.
Liquid courage would fill his every conversation;
Many important dates were missed.
Harsh memories would become replaced
By the few good ones, previously cherished.
Little did I know
I would later follow him
And become the spitting image
Of his self-destruction.
Twenty-one years of hiding from the truth
Is what it took
For me to see beyond his faults and negligence;
And learn to appreciate
what he would later give to me;
A pair of open arms,
A safe return from my despair;
A midst a storm of self-righteous anger
He would finally be there.