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Her
hair 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, on this Daddy’s Day
But
still her mother worried, for her to face this day
alone
And
that was why once again, she tried to keep her
daughter home
But
the little girl went to school, eager to tell them all
About
a dad she never sees, a dad who never calls
There
were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to
meet
Children
squirming impatiently, anxious in their seats
One
by one the teacher called, a student from the class
To
introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed
At
last the teacher called her name, every child turned
to stare
Each
of them were searching, for a man that 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.”
The
words did not offend her, as she smiled at her friends
And
looked back at her teacher, who told her to begin
And
with 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 so far away
But
I know he wishes he could be, with me on this day
And
though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know
All
about my daddy, and how much he loves me so
He
loved to tell me stories, he taught me to ride my bike
He
surprised me with pink roses, and he taught me to fly
a kite
We
used to share fudge sundaes, and ice cream in a cone
And
though you cannot see him, I’m not standing all
alone
‘Cause
my daddy’s always with me, even though we are apart
I
know because he told me, he’ll forever be here in my
heart”
With
that her little hand reached up, and lay across her
chest
Feeling
her own heartbeat, beneath her 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
For
she stood up for the love, of a man not in her life
Doing
what was best for her, doing what was right
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’d be here, but heavens just too far
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
Who
knows what they saw before them, who knows what they
felt inside
Perhaps
for merely a second, they saw him at her side
“I
know you’re with me daddy.” To the silence
she called out
And
what happened next made believers, of those once
filled with doubt
Not
one in that room could explain it, for each of their
eyes had been closed
But
there placed on her desktop, was a beautiful fragrant
pink rose
And
a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the love of
her shining bright star
And
given the gift of believing, that heaven is never too
far
Cheryl
Costello-Forshey
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Cannot
be copied or reproduced in any form without the
written consent of the author, and that you mention
that "Daddy's Day" has been published
in the books, Chicken Soup for the Parent's Soul, and,
Stories for a Teen's Heart 2.
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