I don’t think they give you enough credit

Father

That you’re a man beyond 

the role of a provider

A protector

shielding us from the world

that is vile

and evil

A man whose sole purpose

is to exist as a rock 

for the whole family 

to lean on

And even when you’re crumbling inside

you’re not allowed to

be anything less than a lion

*

I don’t think they appreciate you enough

when you carry us;

heavy, grown teenagers

weighing a soul and bags of bones

to our beds

Our eyes asleep

to the love in your eyes

Our hearts deceived 

by the definition of you

A man whose value goes lower

with every gift you’re unable to buy

and with every problem you’re unable to solve

I believe you’re brave to hold the world

of your one

Two 

Ten

children

on top of your head

Balancing it 

with your steady feet

on a very shaky ground

No one gets to see the melancholy in your heart

when things are falling apart

Because everyone depends on you

to hold them together

Be their string and glue

Be the man you’re expected to be

*

I don’t think they cherish you enough

Father

When you smile and act like a clown

to crack us up into wild laughter

Making us believe that this world is indeed

rainbows and unicorns and ice cream

Your love is something else

out of this world

You put your entire well-being aside

to be there 

for the people you hold dear

I don’t see a better definition 

of love

than your love

Father.