Goodbye

With every passing day,

I question why you didn't stay,

down here with the rest of us.

Is it all the days we missed the bus?

Is it because we never tried?

Because we always gave up and cried?

How were we supposed to know?

Days passed and you were a no-show.

We stood there waiting for you to appear,

through the rain, the dark, and all the fear.

I had to grow up way too fast,

my childhood dreams didn't last.

What ever happened to I'll always be there?

What ever happened to life is always fair?

I thought you said you'd take my hand,

so life's mysteries I'd understand.

But no you went and left me all alone.

Why didn't you ever pick up the phone?

I called you every chance I was given.

I even visited you while you were in prison.

If you were my father,

then why was I such a bother?

So many things I wished to tell you,

but the times we had to talk were so few.

Well now I know what happened

But now I know the truth,

I had to become a sleuth,

to find the reason behind your disappearance.

Despite everyones constance interference,

I discovered where you went.

To heaven you were sent.

I suppose I always knew,

I just didn't want it to be true.

Author's Note

When I turned thirteen, I wasn't nearly ready to grow up. There was still a lot I couldn't understand. When my father died, I thought it was my fault. I blamed myself and thought back to all the things I couldn't changed to keep him.
Years had to pass before I finally accepted it.

Reviews

[Aarontastic]

I really like the way that this poem is structured. The AA/BB rhyme scheme you pulled off well, and the repetition of questions is important because it adds elements of doubt and angst to it. As I kept reading, I began to feel how disillusioned you were with the life that you knew when you were younger, and I empathized with that.

The poem's simple and straightforward, but it has a lot of emotional impact--it conveys a sense of grief and abandonment throughout, and that effect was multiplied when I read past the middle of the poem and saw that its subject was your dad. That revelation came out of the blue and it sort of surprises the reader and makes them reassess what they've read up to that point. Despite the sad topic,at the end of it you seem like you've come to peace with what happened and what you found out about your father and like you've accepted everything. My favorite lines were the last three "to heaven you were sent. I suppose I always knew, I just didn't want it to be true." because we can all relate to those moments where we've known something that we wished we didn't know, or that we wish we were wrong about...it's a really nasty feeling when our feared expectations are finally met. It was the perfect way to close out the poem, and I liked it quite a bit.

[Katannaism]

The emotion projected here is very raw, straight forward and full of impact. The tragedy in here is quite exquisite under words. Well done.

[Misty Blue Eyes]

i think you are my fav poet so far. great job

[Ashley]

This is sad. and if its true im sorry, i too also lost my father. xoxo 100

[Alice In My Own Wonderl..]

"If you were my father,
then why was I such a bother?
So many things I wished to tell you,
but the times we had to talk were so few."

I could really relate to this stanza. This poem was great. Wonderful write, Christoph :)