Hey, I hope you’re doing okay. I just wanted you to know… you’re stronger than you think you are. You’ve got something in you… something bright. Don’t let this world take that from you. You hear me? You’re gonna shine brighter than the stars one day. I believe that. No matter what happens… you can get through anything. I’m proud of you. Love, Dad I know your voice through faded letters Through static calls that never last A name I carried, not a hand A ghost I tried to understand Mama told me who you were Didn’t hide the dirt or blur Said, “He chose roads you won’t walk” Still I waited for your knock Pictures fade, and I got none Just a story of what you’d done Not a hero, not a lie Just a man who said goodbye And I never got to hate you Never got to ask you why Never saw you try to fix it Never watched you get it right You said I’d shine brighter than the stars But you never stayed to see it Now I’m holding onto words you wrote Like they’re the only proof you mean it I don’t know if I forgive you I just know I never got the time Once in blue moons, I’d see your face Trying to read what time erased Did you see me? Did you care? Or was I just a voice somewhere? You let me go, said I’d be fine Like love was something left behind Like distance meant I’d understand Why you weren’t there to be my dad I don’t miss what I never knew But I still feel the missing you Not the man, but what you could be That’s the part that buries me And I never got to hate you Never got to slam the door Never screamed into your silence Never asked you for more You said I’d shine brighter than the stars But you never stayed to see it Now I’m chasing something you believed But I don’t know if I believe it I don’t know if I forgive you I just know you lost your fight Maybe you would’ve changed someday Maybe you would’ve found your way Maybe I would’ve seen you try Maybe I would’ve said goodbye But “maybe” doesn’t raise the dead And “someday” never got ahead And I never got to hate you And I never got to heal Never saw the man you could be Never knew if you were real You said I’d shine brighter than the stars And I guess I’m trying to be it But it hurts to chase a light you gave When you never stayed to see it Now I’m standing in the silence Of a life we never tried I don’t know if I forgive you… But I’m the one who has to survive
