To My Father, On Father’s Day

Father’s Day arrives, and though your chair sits still,

Your voice continues echoing through my will.

Time has passed, yet not a day goes by

That I don’t search for you within the sky.

You taught me things you may never have known,

How strength can live when love is shown.

How a man can lead with heart instead of pride,

And how even in absence, a father can still guide.

There are moments I wish I could call your name,

Tell you my victories, confess my pain.

Ask for your wisdom, hear your laugh,

Or simply sit beside you and let the silence last.

People say grief grows smaller with the years,

But sometimes it still arrives through tears.

Because love this deep does not disappear;

It simply changes shape and stays near.

Your initials live within my purpose now,

Your legacy rests within every vow.

The dreams I build, the hearts I reach,

Carry lessons you didn’t know you’d teach.

On this Father’s Day, I honor your life,

Not only the struggles, not only the strife,

But the man whose love still lights my way,

Even though he could not stay.

So if heaven allows fathers to see,

I hope you’re looking down at me,

Seeing your son continue to stand,

Building a legacy with his own two hands.

You may be gone from where I can see,

But you are never gone from me.

Happy Father’s Day, Dad.

Love,

Your son