Her
hair up in a pony tail, her favorite dress tied with a
bow
Today was Daddy's Day at school, and she couldn't wait to
go
But her mommy tried to tell her, that she probably should
stay home
Why the kids 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, on this Daddy's Day
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 in back,
for everyone to meet
Children squirming impatiently, anxious in their
seats
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, every child turned to
stare
Each of them were 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 student 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
at her friends
And looked back at her teacher, who told her to
begin
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 with me on
this day
And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to
know
All about my daddy, and how much 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 all
alone
'Cause my daddy's always with me, even though we are
apart
I know because he told me, he'll forever be here 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 in the crowd of dads, her mother stood
in tears
Proudly watching her daughter, who was 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
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's my shining star,
And if he could he'd be here, but heaven's just too
far,
But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went
away."
And then she closed her eyes, and saw him
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 merely a 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 placed on her desktop, was a beautiful fragrant
pink rose
And a child was blessed, if only a moment, by the love of
her shining
bright star and given the gift of believing, that heaven is
never too far.
copyright © 2000
Cheryl Costello-Forshey
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