*A Daddy's Poem*

Her hair was up in a pony tail,
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her favorite dress tied with a bow.
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Today was Daddy's Day at school,
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and she couldn't wait to go.
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But her mommy tried to tell her,
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that she probably should stay home.
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Why the kids might not understand,
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if she went to school alone.
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But she was not afraid; she knew just what to say. What to
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tell her classmates of why he wasn't there today.
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But still her mother worried,
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for her to face this day alone.
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And that was why once again,
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she tried to keep her daughter home.
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But the little girl went to school
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eager to tell them all.
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About a dad she never sees;
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a dad who never calls.
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There were daddies along the wall in back, for everyone to *
Children squirming impatiently,
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anxious in their seats
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One by one the teacher called a student from the class. To introduce their daddy, as seconds slowly passed.
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At last the teacher called her name,
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every child turned to stare.
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Each of them was searching,
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for a man who wasn't there.
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"Where's her daddy at?"
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she heard a boy call out.
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"She probably doesn't have one,"
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another student dared to shout.
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And from somewhere near the back,
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she heard a daddy say,
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"Looks like another deadbeat dad,
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too busy to waste his day."
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The words did not offend her,
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as she smiled up at her Mom.
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And looked back at her teacher,
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who told her to go on.
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And with hands behind her back,
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slowly she began to speak.
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And out from the mouth of a child,
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came words incredibly unique.
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"My Daddy couldn't be here,
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because he lives so far away.
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But I know he wishes he could be,
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since this is such a special day.
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And though you cannot meet him,
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I wanted you to know.
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All about my daddy,
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and how much he loves me so.
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He loved to tell me stories
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he taught me to ride my bike.
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He surprised me with pink roses,
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and taught me to fly a kite.
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We used to share fudge sundaes,
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and ice cream in a cone.
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And though you cannot see him.
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I'm not standing here alone.
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"Cause my daddy's always with me,
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even though we are apart
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I know because he told me,
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he'll forever be in my heart"
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With that, her little hand reached up,
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and lay across her chest.
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Feeling her own heartbeat,
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beneath her favorite dress.
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And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads, her mother
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stood in tears.
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Proudly watching her daughter,
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who was wise beyond her years.
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For she stood up for the love
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of a man not in her life.
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Doing what was best for her,
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doing what was right.
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And when she dropped her hand back down, staring straight
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into the crowd.
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She finished with a voice so soft,
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but its message clear and loud.
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"I love my daddy very much,
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he's my shining star.
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And if he could, he'd be here,
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but heaven's just too far
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You see he was a firefighter
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and died just this past year
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When airplanes hit the towers
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and taught Americans to fear.
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But sometimes when I close my eyes,
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it's like he never went away."
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And then she closed her eyes,
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and she saw him there that day.
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And to her mothers amazement,
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she witnessed with surprise
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A room full of daddies and children,
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all starting to close their eyes.
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Who knows what they saw before them,
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who knows what they felt inside.
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Perhaps for merely a second,
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they saw him at her side.
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"I know you're with me Daddy,"
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to the silence she called out.
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And what happened next made believers,
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of those once filled with doubt.
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Not one in that room could explain it,
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for each of their eyes had been closed.
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But there on the desk beside her,
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was a fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
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And a child was blessed, if only for a moment,
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by the love of her shining star.
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And given the gift of believing,
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that heaven is never too far.
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They say it takes a minute to find a special
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person, an hour to appreciate them,
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a day to love them, but then an entire
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life to forget them.