by Michelle Mclean

Created on: August 16, 2007

The Masterpiece

"You are like my masterpiece,"
You said to me one day.
Just like a famous painting,
Or a sculpture made of clay.

I had always known you loved me,
But it wasn't until then,
That I saw you for who you really were,
My father, a king among men.

You always worked so hard for us,
And never got much rest.
I'll always remember what you did,
I know I'm truly blest.

"You are my masterpiece," you said to me,
Those words meant everything.
They are sweeter to me than any sound,
They caused my heart to sing.

"You are my masterpiece," you said to me,
And I finally understand.
Because now I have a child of my own,
And I pray that he can withstand.

I see how easily he can be hurt,
And my heart breaks to think of his pain.
I finally know how you must have felt,
Each time I broke under the strain.

I don't remember you crying much,
But I remember you that day,
Your eyes were filled with unshed tears
That you could no longer keep at bay.

You cried for me, your masterpiece,
Because I had been harmed.
But you were there to comfort me,
And take me in your arms.

And now I have my own sweet child,
He is my life, at least.
Someday I'll tell him what you told me,
"You are my masterpiece."

I wonder if he'll understand,
My pain each time he cries.
Why I'll strive so fervently,
To protect him from a world of lies.

I'm sure someday he'll understand,
When he has a child of his own,
And he looks into her tear-filled eyes,
When she feels lost and alone.

And until then, I'll do my best,
As I watched you do for me,
No little girl could be more blest,
Than to have you for her Daddy.

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