Why? Poem by Theresa Ann Moore

Daddy, why haven’t I seen you for ten long years?
Many nights my pillow was soaked with tears.
I hated other kids who had fun with their fathers.
I never heard from you, not even on my birthday.
When I asked mother why; she looked the other way.

When I heard your raspy voice on the telephone today,
I thought you were a stranger who dialed a wrong number.
Now, I see you as an old gray-haired man that I don’t recognize.
With downcast eyes, Mary’s father cried, 'I thought of you each day.
I was ashamed to tell you… I’ve been in prison those long ten years.'