"Buffalo Bob"
Casale's Corner

Daddy's Poem

Thanks to Diane Cuti Germain & Joe Germain for this poem...break out the tissues
 

Her hair was in a pony tail,

Her dress tied with a bow.

Today was "Daddy's Day" at school,

She couldn't wait to go.

But her mommy tried to tell her,

That she probably should stay home;

The kids just 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

Why he wasn't there today.

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 

for everyone to meet,

Children squirming impatiently,

Anxious in their seat.

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,

As each child turned to stare.

Each of them was searching,

For a man who wasn't there.

"Where's her daddy at?"

She heard a boy call out.

"She probably doesn't have one,"

Another 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 up at her Mom.

And looked back at her teacher, who 

Told her to go on.

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,

Since this is such a special day.

And though you cannot meet him,

I wanted you to know

All about my daddy,

And how he loves me so.

He loved to tell me stories,

He taught me to ride my bike;

He surprised me with pink roses,

And 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 here alone.

'Cause my daddy's always with me,

Even though we are apart;

I know because he told me,

He'll be forever 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 there in the crowd of dads, 

Her mother stood in tears.

Proudly watching her little girl,

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 a 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 is my shining star.

And if he could, he'd be here,

But heaven's just too far. 

You see he is a soldier

And he died just this past year,

When a roadside bomb hit his convoy 

And taught the warriors fear. 

But sometimes when I close my eyes, 

It's like he never went away."

And then she closed her eyes,

And saw him clearly 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 a mere 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 on the desk beside her

Was a fragrant, long-stemmed, pink rose

And a child was blessed, if only for 

A moment, by the love of her shining star,

And given the gift of believing,

That heaven is never too far.