DAUGHTER's LOVE

A VERY HEART TOUCHING POEM

A DAUGHTER’S LOVE

 Her hair was up in a ponytail

Her favorite dress tied with a bow.

Today was daddy’s day at school,

And she couldn’t wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home.

Why the kids might not understand,

If she went to school alone.

But she was not afraid;

She knew just what to say.

What to tell her classmates

Of why he wasn’t there today.

The little girl went to school,

Eager to tell them all,

About a Dad she never sees

A dad who never calls.

One by one the teacher called,

A student from the class.

To introduce their daddy,

As seconds slowly passed.

At last her teacher called her name,

Every child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

For a man who wasn’t there.

“Where’s her daddy at?”

She heard a boy call out.

“She probably doesn’t have one,”

Another student dared to shout.

And from somewhere near the back,

She heard a daddy say’

“Looks like another deadbeat dad,

Too busy to waste his day.”

With her hands behind her back,

Slowly she began to speak.

And out from the mouth of a child,

Came words incredibly unique.

“My daddy couldn’t be here,

Because he lives far away.

But I know he wishes he could be,

Since this is such a special day.

We used to share fudge sundaes,

And ice cream in a cone.

And though you cannot see him,

I’m not standing here alone.

“Cause my daddy’s always with me,

Even though we are apart.

I know because he told me,

He’ll forever be in my heart.”

With that her little hand reached up,

And lay across her chest.

Feeling her own heartbeat,

Beneath her own favorite dress.

And from somewhere in the crowd of dads,

Her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her daughter,

Who was wise beyond her years.

And when she dropped her hand back down,

Staring straight into the crowd.

She finished with a voice so soft,

But its message clear and loud.

“I love my daddy very much,

He’s my shining star.

And if he could, he would be here,

But heaven’s just too far.

You see he was a fireman

And died just this past year.

When airplanes hit the towers

And made the meaning of freedom clear.

But sometimes when I close my eyes,

It’s like he never went away.”

And then she closed her eyes,

And saw him there that day.

And to her mother’s amazement,

She witnessed with surprise.

A room full of daddies and children,

All starting to close their eyes

“I know you are with me daddy,”

To the silence she called out.

And what happened next made believers,

Of those once filled with doubt.

Not one in the room could explain it,

For each one of their eyes closed.

But there on the desk beside her,

Was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.

And a child was blessed if only or a moment,

By the love of her shining bright star.

And given the gift of believing,

That heaven is never too far.

                                                                   - Anonymous