I’m Doing Penance Poem by Margaret Alice

Dear Dad,
I feel your presence
in the soothing sounds of Mantovani’s violins
I hear your joy in every Strauss waltz
I see your boyish longings
in every toy shop

I’m doing penance for all those years of
alienation because of the lies
that were spread about you
today I know the truth about you
all the rumours in the past
and I miss you

I can’t see you because you are too far
I’m lonely because my campaign to proclaim
the truth about you prevents me from visiting
those who hate and desecrate
the memory of you

I love you Dad, and I rue
the loss of every opportunity
squandered in the past
to spend time with you…

Dear God, please forgive me my sins
and bring me to him
please give me the chance
to make up for the time that was lost
and love my Dad again!