For Dad

For Dad

My father is a fortress, an anchor, the citadel amid a battleground,

Powerful and steadfast. 

He is a lighthouse at midnight, a beacon of all that is good and hopeful,

And when everyone and everything changes, it is my father’s love

That beckons me home and holds me forever. 

You are the root of the tree, the thick unmoving trunk as it protrudes out of the ground

And I am merely the branches. 

Your love is quiet, steady footsteps in the forest, inaudible but I am always aware of its presence. 

It does not boast because it does not need to. It is not loud 

Because it does not need to be. 

You are not one for “I love yous”, but I know where you hide them. 

There is an “I love you” every time you wash the dishes, and

There is one in the apples you cut up for us every night after dinner. 

I hear an “I love you” every time you have driven me places,

And there is another one every time you burden the weight of our luggage on a trip. 

“I love you” is in the rice on the dinner table and etched onto the freshly mowed lawn and 

In every school project you have labored with me. 

I wear your brilliance like a hand-me-down scarf around my neck

And your humor clings to my fingers like gloves I refuse to take off. 

Your courage takes the shape of my coat, and I pretend I'm always cold so I never have to be without it. 

I strap your loyalty to my feet like boots,

And your passion is the belt that holds me together. 

I am my father’s daughter,

And I wear it on my chest like a medal, like a badge of honor,

Like armor that will protect me from all that has and will ever hurt me. 

Your palms are rough, fingers calloused from decades of sacrifices,

But your touch is gentle, 

Like you are cradling my head for the first time I’ve entered this world. 

I know emotions are not something you are quick to show, 

That your tears are kept private and your grievances may never see the light of day, 

But with all we have been through and all you have done for me,

I just wanted to say how proud I am of you because

I would not be the girl, the woman, the daughter I am today without the guidance of 

Your love.