My Father
My father is a not a good man
He was a single dad with a ten year old
He chewed tobacco, cursed like a sailor and drank like a camel
He took me to bars and played poker with death
He almost got arrested in front of my face
My father could teach me how to be a good woman
However he thought it was more important to teach me how to be a good human being
He taught me that "drunks" aren't as bad as people make them out to be
He taught me how to block a punch and how to kick someone's ass if they were rude
He taught me to scream for those who can only whisper
He taught that being a good person takes more than saying please and thank you
He taught me that a smile is worth more than money
And that even superheroes cry sometimes
He never said try harder he said next time
He taught me that it's okay to say "I can't." but only after you say, "I'll try."
He told me "Girl don't tempt the sun by flying to close because you'll only end up falling in flames"
He told me "Mean people are only mean because they have problems in their own lives"
He held me as I cried about my mother leaving
And whispered that we'd wade through this just like we did when we went to the beach
He lectured me on what to do and what not to do
He said "There isn't much God left in the world so you must show people that there is still God left in you"
My father always fought for the working man
He walked through Hell with a smile on his face and danced with the stars with a frown
He taught me that the brave do not live forever but the cautious do not live at all
He told me never to ashamed of my past because that's what made me who I am today
He lit up the room like the sun lights up the dawn sky when he talks of his son and his three daughters
He told me every chance he got that he loves me and that's he's proud of me
He makes it apparent to every woman he meets that even if they do end up married he will run a thousand miles to me before he will take one step to them
He is the kind of man who will take a bullet for a stranger and but will kill a man for disrespecting family
My father is not a good man
He is so much more than that
My father is a great human being
He is my moon and my North Star that guides me home back into his arms