Dear Daddy (Part One) By: Amanda K. Dudley-Penn

To my father, Eric Ray Dudley

Dear Daddy, did you know
That I was told how you were?
How you held me and
cherished me after my birth.
Dear Daddy, I still remember
when we played.
I remember your laugh
But it never stayed.
Dear Daddy, I wished for you
when you were far from me.
I didn't understand then.
The pain I didn't see.
Dear Daddy, I waited for you
and watched the cars go by.
Those times you didn't come,
I had to force myself not to cry.
Dear Daddy, I wish I knew then
how to take away the hurt.
But when you're a little girl,
Things are fractured and blurred.
Dear Daddy, I look back and
understand what you went through.
I hope you know unconditionally
That I love you.
Dear Daddy, I won't forget
who you used to be.
Before the darkness
Took you away from me.