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A
Little Girl's Poem
Her hair was
up in a ponytail
Her favorite
dress tied with a bow.
Today was
Daddy's Day at school,
And she
couldn't wait to go.
But her
mommy tried to tell her,
That she
probably should stay home.
Why the kids
might not understand,
If she went
to school alone.
But she was
not afraid;
She knew
just what to say.
What to tell
her classmates
Of why he
wasn't there today.
But still
her mother worried,
For her to
face this day alone.
And that was
why once again,
She tried to
keep her daughter home.
But the
little girl went to school,
Eager to
tell them all.
About a dad
she never sees
A dad who
never calls.
There were
daddies along the wall in back,
For everyone
to meet.
Children
squirming impatiently,
Anxious in
their seats.
One by one
the teacher called,
A student
from the class.
To introduce
their daddy,
As seconds
slowly passed.
At last the
teacher called her name,
Every child
turned to stare.
Each of them
was searching,
For a man
who wasn't there.
"Where's her
daddy at?"
She heard a
boy call out.
"She
probably doesn't have one,"
Another
student dared to shout.
And from
somewhere near the back,
She heard a
daddy say,
"Looks like
another deadbeat dad,
Too busy to
waste his day."
The words
did not offend her,
As she
smiled up at her Mom.
And looked
back at her teacher,
Who told her
to go on.
And with
hands behind her back,
Slowly she
began to speak.
And out from
the mouth of a child,
Came words
incredibly unique.
"My Daddy
couldn't be here,
Because he
lives so far away.
But I know
he wishes he could be,
Since this
is such a special day.
And though
you cannot meet him,
I wanted you
to know.
All about my
daddy,
And how much
he loves me so.
He loved to
tell me stories
He taught me
to ride my bike.
He surprised
me with pink roses,
And taught
me to fly a kite.
We used to
share fudge sundaes,
And ice
cream in a cone.
And though
you cannot see him,
I'm not
standing here alone.
"Cause my
daddy's always with me,
Even though
we are apart
I know
because he told me,
He'll
forever be in my heart"
With that,
her little hand reached up,
And lay
across her chest.
Feeling her
own heartbeat,
Beneath her
favorite dress.
And from
somewhere in the crowd of dads,
Her mother
stood in tears.
Proudly
watching her daughter,
Who was wise
beyond her years.
For she
stood up for the love
Of a man not
in her life.
Doing what
was best for her,
Doing what
was right.
And when she
dropped her hand back down,
Staring
straight into the crowd.
She finished
with a voice so soft,
But its
message clear and loud.
"I love my
daddy very much,
He's my
shining star.
And if he
could, he'd be here,
But heaven's
just too far.
You see he
was a fireman
And died
just this past year
When
airplanes hit the towers
And taught
Americans to fear.
But
sometimes when I close my eyes,
It's like he
never went away."
And then she
closed her eyes,
And saw him
there that day.
And to her
mother's amazement,
She
witnessed with surprise.
A room full
of daddies and children,
All starting
to close their eyes.
Who knows
what they saw before them,
Who knows
what they felt inside.
Perhaps for
merely a second,
They saw him
at her side.
"I know
you're with me Daddy,"
To the
silence she called out.
And what
happened next made believers,
Of those
once filled with doubt.
Not one in
that room could explain it,
For each of
their eyes had been closed.
But there on
the desk beside her,
Was a
fragrant long-stemmed pink rose.
And a child
was blessed, if only for a moment,
By the love
of her shining bright star.
And given
the gift of believing,
That heaven
is never too far.
Poem cited from
American-Firefighter.
com
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