I needed you, but you weren\u2019t there,
Not just your body, your love, your care.
You were a shadow behind closed doors,
Present in name, but nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You taught me silence, not with words,
But by the things I never heard.
No \u201cI\u2019m proud,\u201d no \u201cI see you grow,\u201d
Just empty stares, and \u201cI told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You held the world in heavy hands,
Yet never learned to understand.
That strength\u2019s not found in stone or steel,
But in the way a father helps you heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes you shouted, when you should\u2019ve stayed still,
Left me with wounds too deep to fill.
I tried to please you, tried to shine,
But your love always felt just out of line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I watched other dads in parks and pews,
Wishing I could trade my shoes.
I blamed myself, thought I was flawed,
That maybe I was too much or not enough for God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But I grew anyway, through cracks and scars,
Found my own light, counted my stars.
I built my heart from broken ground,
And found a softer strength all around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now I\u2019ve learned: forgiveness doesn\u2019t mean forget,
But I won\u2019t let your absence be my threat.
I speak my truth without shame or fear,
Even if you never choose to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the man I\u2019m becoming won\u2019t repeat your ways,
I\u2019ll love with depth and give with grace.
And maybe one day, when I hold my own,
They\u2019ll never have to feel alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I forgive you, not because you said you\u2019re sorry,
But because carrying this pain is just too heavy.
I release the silence, the ache, the rage,
So I can finally step off this caged stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I forgive you, not to erase the past,
But to free myself at last.
The child in me deserved much more,
But the adult in me won\u2019t keep that score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I may never get the dad I dreamed,
But I\u2019ll still become the love I need.
And in that freedom, I choose to stand,
No longer broken, just beautifully unplanned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/p\/19WaAQdC1T<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A soul built strong from broken stone by walking shadow<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n