A New Light Poem by Alley Hernandez

You left, I was lost and I couldn't find my way
Feeling abandoned, I had no one to look up to
I kept asking what I could do to make you stay
You said you would visit but that wouldn't do

Night after night wishing, praying you would return
Pain and sadness growing in my heart as I understood
My once loving father was now a stranger and stern

Four years was all it took yet four years took it all
That dark starry night, the night you came home
I poured my heart out but you, you put up a wall
That warm face turned into nothing but stone

Every moment longing, hoping for a sign, a sign of approval
Nothing, not a smile, not a nod, not a word
What can I say; I guess it became the usual

'That's it, you could've tried harder' was all I heard
I always tried my hardest, yet it was never enough
Time passed, I began to see things in a new light
Deep down past that exterior, I knew you weren't that tough
You became different, but change wouldn't happen overnight

Once I learned to truly accept you, you accepted me
We talked without arguing; now there's something unusual
You simply want what is best for me, I just couldn't see
I'm glad to say our frequent chats have become something so casual