Guilt

Promises stitched carefully
Like an old worn out quilt
sewn only to soothe
all your mountains of guilt

You'll never quite know
about that empty scorn
cause you weren't around
when my daughter was born

You flew us to see you
You weren't at the gate
by the time you showed up
I thought-Too little to late

It took some time
to warm up to the thought
that this man was my dad
Who hoped love could be bought

I'm not saying,
that I loved you any less
it was wondering if you really still cared
That I was left just to guess

I wanted to forgive you
In hopes that you'd see
that left back in your shadows
was a broken, unwanted me

I was left with an image
of a girl on daddy's lap
That would one day grow up
to take another man's crap

You missed a few birthdays,
A Christmas or two
But what really went missing
was the father in you

You were always distracted
when we talked on the phone,
I was part of that old life,
you wish went unknown

Yes, you are my father
that now I don't know
The time keeps ticking,
as your Granddaughter's grow

You keep running away,
keep turning your head
Oblivious to all the tears
on my bed that I've shed

I'll stay left behind
in the life that wasn't good enough for you,
Yes, you are my father
Just not the one that I knew