happy father’s day

this is for the daughters
with not so perfect fathers
whose shattered hearts
with jagged edges
broke open theirs

for all the daughters
who’ve struggled to understand,
then understood,
then wept for their fathers

for all the daughters,
who weep because
of their fathers —
the good, the bad,
& the everything trapped between

this is for all the fathers
with broken daughters
who watch as their broken girls
transform into broken women

this is for all the fathers
still haunted by the past,
of what was
& wasn’t
who never quite learned
how to be proper fathers
for they never had
someone to teach them

this for all the daughters
& their imperfect fathers
who know only how to speak
with broken tongues,
sharp words,
& lingering silences
that echo through time —
day after day,
month after month,
year after year

may we all heal our opened wounds
& learn to speak to one another
in a way that shows
the warmth of our hearts
& the love they carry
instead of the wounds
& battle scars leftover
from the years of bloodshed & wars

may the many memories of
our fights,
silences,
& pains
no longer haunt us

this is for all the broken daughters
with not so perfect fathers

i hope that one day
this day won’t feel so painful
& tainted with strife

here’s to us
& to them

happy father’s day