Daddy's Promise Poem by Marguerite C. Anderson

Today I needed my daddy
and it occurred to me that he is really gone.
He was never perfect
but for me, he became the man I could rely on.

Today, I needed my daddy to keep his promise
when he told me God assured him long life.
Yet now his bones dissolve in his bed of earth
And I find myself crying like a newborn at birth.

Today I needed my daddy to explain
why at seventy-four, it just doesn't feel long enough,
To the broken heart that needed more;
To explain why he smiled and made such jest
then two years later, he had us lay him to rest.

Today I needed my daddy to hold my hand.
Another of my life-accomplishments
but why isn't my daddy out there
Cheering from the grandstand?

Today I needed my daddy to say,
with his eyes that twinkle
'It's better to laugh and have dimples
than to frown and have wrinkles'

Today I needed my daddy because
he taught me the constancy of a man's love;
and when I go through a failed relationship,
my daddy was always there to give me renewed spirit
and that extra shove.

Today I needed my daddy to say, 'Never mind, my baby'
and I am still listening for his voice
For Daddy promised
that he'd never leave me.