Lisa Wilson

I was dying to be loved
by a man who could not
surround himself with anything
other than his most sacred possessions

Too afraid to feel
your skin melded
into my cold body
as if we had never
been apart

I never knew you
other than to say
you were my father
And I loved that more
than life itself

For what is life without love?

You were not good to me
the way a father
should be good to his daughter
but it's not your fault

Your momma wasn't nice to you
So you can't be blamed
for not
knowing
how to hold a child
when she's tired of
sitting on your lap

Truth seeps in when you least expect it
For instance, I can sense the veracity of your lies
when I sniff your unshaven armpits
and detect a perfume that isn't mine
I say nothing, of course.
Better to keep quiet
than risk losing you altogether.

When I do finally leave,
and believe me, I will,
You will know what
it feels like
to be swatted
by a woman warrior
bent on a mission
of getting him back