A Father's Love
by Michael Doyle

A young girl hurts
With the soul of a woman
Why doesn't anyone understand
A father listens, alert -
Doing the best that he can
Silently, he offers his hand

She dries her eyes
While he simply listens
To the questions on her mind
He can't protect her from the lies
Or the fool's gold that glistens
But he promises to understand

It's hard coming up in the world today
So many challenges to withstand
He holds her as closely as he can
Sometimes there's so little to say
Instead, he simply gives her his hand
And promises, a father's love is forever

Deep in her heart, he sees her pain
Those once laughing eyes are a thing of beauty
If he could, he'd protect her forever
Instead, he does his best to try to explain
Because he knows it's his sworn duty
It's one bond that will never sever

The world can be cruel with its harm
Things are said that are undeserved
But her father's love is her sanctuary
Though he knows every folly and every charm
A father's faithfulness is never swerved
And he'll hold her as long as she feels necessary

Teaching her the ways to survive this world
And how to defend against those that she must
While giving her an example of who to trust
She was once his little girl who lay curled
Listening to his stories with love as he fussed
And now he's her one voice she knows she can trust

(c) February 19, 2022  Michael Doyle
All Rights Reserved