To My Father

There was a time
When not so long ago
A newborn had cried her first tear
As she entered into a strange new world.

A man held her with a certain strength
As tears of confusion ran down the newborn's face.
He knew in his heart this girl was special,
And with that he vowed to give this child a place in his heart.

As time went by,
The girl had began to grow.
She had learned to talk
And she learned how to walk.

With each step the girl took,
The man had been by her side,
To guide her when she didn't know where to go,
To comfort her whenever she fell.

His mission every day
Was to make this girl smile,
To hear her young, innocent laugh,
To make her giggle.

More years had come and gone
As the girl was in her first year of middle school.
There were days where she would come home with tears in her eyes
That would send a sad, cold knife through the man's heart.

He would sit there and console her for as long as needed
And had wiped salty tears from her cheek
As he told her that it would be okay,
That it wasn't the end of the world.

There were times when she walked through the door with an evil frown
As she spat cruel words of anger towards the man she loved.
Never did the man love her any less in hearing her words
But did scold her in hopes that she would learn.

Time went on,
And it was the girl's middle school graduation.
As she and her fellow classmates wore caps and gowns,
The man and his wonderful wife were watching with pride.

Never had the two been so proud
As when the girl went up to accept her award.
Standing there with the girl in the lens of a camera,
He snapped multiple pictures to cherish the moment.

The man had been with the girl through thick and thin,
Through bloody cuts and ugly bruises,
Through smiles and tears,
Through screams of anger and shrieks of laughter.

This man had not only kept his vow to that newborn
But did so much more.
Only a man like him could give his love
So unselfishly.

That is why he is not only an amazing father
But also the most amazing friend I could ever ask for.