My mister is so delusional,
Pompously ranting of forbidden flames,
And secret lovers.
Oh wait till I tell him with a bow
"Thy missus is dirtier than thou",
And watch his innocent face
Change a million colors.

she wrings the morning
from her paint soaked dress, dreaming
dragonflies hover
becoming sunlight dancing
vast, her fields of flowers bloom

she should probably stop
collecting coffee cups.
everytime she asks me to do the dishes
or everytime i decide to surprise her
i always stand there
looking up
and wondering
how she ever found a place for them all.
everything is put away
except for the small one that remains
in my hand.
staring at the packed cupboards
i feel lost
like i'm in unknown territory
and don't know where to go.
the wrong move will set off
bombs, explosions, bombs
and nobody wants that.
so i set it on the counter
and leave it for my mother
coming to the conclusion that
she must be a magician.

I would've given birth
To you,
Endured whatever
Mothers do.
Instead, I did
What Dads do.

I rocked you
Til my future shook;
Watched you til
I couldn't look.
As you changed,
I changed too,
To do the things
That Dads do.

You were bathed,
Dressed and fed;
I loved you so much
I was saved.

If there's credit,
Well, I get it,
For teaching you to read.
I took the blame
When you got bored
With school's ABC's.

I followed you
In all your roles,
Your teams,
Your solos,
Your trips,
Your shows.
First to clap,
Last to sit;
I taped it all,
From start -
To finish.

I taught you
How to tie a lace,
Ride a bike,
Golf and skate.
When time arrived
For you to drive,
You learned
On standard,
Never stranded,
You came home alive.

Your highs
I took in stride,
By example taught
Humility's pride.
Your lows,
I couldn't internalize,
I dropped my guard
With my eyes.

When Dad's do well
It's a double edge,
The future wedge.
The world
Revealed
Desired you too.
I don't dismiss
What mothers do,
But when Dads do well,
Both lose you.