Mister

The things I wish he’d told me
Outnumber
The things he did
And I’ve always wondered
What I might have been
Since the years I was his kid.

Don’t get me wrong
Mister
He was a good dad
And a mighty fine man
But he was quiet
And always seemed a little sad.

I knew my father loved me
Mister
He just didn’t know how to say it
But he kept his hand on me
And all my growing up years
My desire to please him never quit.

He’s been gone a long time now
Mister
Though it seems it was just yesterday
On the phone, he told me
He loved me.
That memory will never go away.

I suppose every father ought to
Say
The things a child needs to hear
I know I will always wonder
How his words might have changed me
As I listened to his silence year after year.