Who Am I, Dad?

who am i

if not your daughter, dad?

I remember the times

when you forgot my birthdays,

and I cried the tears of a child

while your eyes were bleeding

in sturdy exhaustion.

So who am i

if not your daughter, dad?

You can be cruel

and I can be stubborn,

but the laughter we share

fills up my half full glass

of hopefulness for the day.

who am i, dad?

Lost in paperwork

that’s not mine,

frustration wells up inside me.

Your huffs and puffs

get louder. They

become storms on their own.

They scare me.

You make me laugh.

You smile in my arms,

and it’s a snowflake of a smile —

only you can do it.

You love with money, not with time.

You love me, you do.

I love you, too, dad.

Cause in the end, dad,

I am your daughter

before I am myself.

And sometimes,

that’s okay.