Such is life,
That it batters us
About, choking us with
The dust of what
Could have been,
Covering us
In boiling internal oil,
Muffling us
From shouting out,
Heating us
To explosion,
Then drip-drying us
Out, so that all that remains
Is what we went in
With; our thoughts,
Our intent,
The goodwill in our
Hearts, as that is all
That really counts,
The rest is just detail
To distract.

I love you with all of me,
In fact,
You are my soul in legs,
Better, smarter, funnier,
More talented by far,
Than I have ever been,
Or will ever be,
The best of me,
And so much more,
The wide, exciting
Horizon, laid out before you,
A gift, to step out into the great wide unknown,
Your life, your choices, your path,
All your own.

I will always be here,
Anytime, day or night,
Not telling you what to do,
Or guiding wrong from right –
I don’t need to, as you’ve got that down pat –
Just here to listen, and sometimes pitch in,
A shoulder to pinch, punch, or cry on,
A home to weather any storm,
Your father, so proud of everything you do
Since the day
You were born.