~tales Of My Father~ Poem by Soulful One

Would that I could
sit in the circle of Elders
to recount tales
of adventure and
of a life well lived
to that part of me
which is also
a part of him
for I am of him
as he was
of those who lived
before us
i would like
to be able to tell of him
so that he is not
forgotten
so that he is
remembered and
known
by more than just me
but the stories
I can tell
are mere memories
and dreams of
run together fragments
from a child’s mind
for wishes of
an absent father
who skirted the margins
of her reality
rarely delving
to the heart
the center of
her existence
for years that little girl
raged inside of the woman
angry and hurt
from an abandonment
beyond her comprehension
until one day
the woman grieved
the loss of the father
the little girl
never had
forgiving him
in order to embrace
the father who was there
now
knowing him
as a man of
faults
mistakes
regrets
wishing time could be
retraced and
he was again
able to be
the father he never was
but knowing
he can only be
who he is today
so now I sit
in the circle of my Sistahs
to recount tales
of conversations
laughter
understanding
and acceptance
about the man
who was not
the father
the little girl in me
wished for
but the father
the woman I am
was gifted with
and when
he is no longer
with us
I know the part of him
which is also a part of me
will sit around
the circle of my family
to recount
his tales of fatherhood
from the memories and
heart of the woman
who will always be
his little girl

thank you Daddy
Dedicated to E A W, Sr.

08.29.06