I never told you....

Father, i wish to tell you today,
What i never told you before.
I only want you to listen to what i want to say,
Don't praise, don't argue, just listen and no more.

I remember those days when i was small,
You'd deck me up for school and leave me at the gate.
I'd walk away without a smile and your face would fall,
But you'd smile anyway consoling yourself that i was probably late.

When i grew older i was a handful,
I'd yell and shout and wish you wouldn't care.
But when i got home late at nights you were just thankful,
You didn't for once think what i was doing wasn't fair.

I'd be out for hours and when i'm home,
I wouldn't talk to you and rush into my room.
I'd spend days talking on the phone,
And wouldn't come to you when you asked me to, soon.

I know sometimes you had wished you could talk,
But i never cared and carried on with my life.
In the end, when life became a mess, you stood by me like a rock,
Now, guilt pierces me like a knife.

I know when you told me about things like drugs,
I would just nod and walk away.
I never thought you would need a hug,
You seemed so strong, i didn't see any reason to stay.

Now i know, father, what i have done,
And i live with the guilt that age brings on.
I wish i could make it all undone,
But it's all over, it's all gone.

Now Father, i wish to tell you today,
What i have never told you before.
I only want you to listen to what i want to say,
Don't praise, don't argue, just listen and no more.

I have never told you what i think of you,
I was too shy to let it go.
I think no one can get a father like you, dad, it's true,
Shh! I don't want to share you so don't let others know.