I did not have a chance to know him,
God called him very young;
What a loss for him ... for me,
So many things we could have done.

They tell me one will never miss
That which one has never known;
Oh no, they're wrong! There is an ache ...
An emptiness all of its own.

I saw the other kids at school,
Who brought their moms and dads
To Parent's Night, held once a year,
Mom came, of course, but she was sad.

Oh, I was very proud of her,
Please don't take me wrong ...
It's just I wished I'd had a dad,
Who could have come along.

I teased myself with fantasies,
With things that might have been;
Mostly what I pictured,
Were my long talks with him.

I'd say, "Dad, I need your good advice,"
Then, I'd see furrows in his brow,
As deep in thought, he'd study me,
Asking, "What's the problem now?"

At my college graduation,
Mom was lost within the crowd;
But, when they handed me my sheepskin,
I heard her cheer ... she was so proud!

But, Dad, I wanted you to know,
I wanted you to see,
I wanted you to say, "Well done!"
That you, too, were proud of me.

I'm married now and have a son,
Who bears his granddad's name;
Oh, I wish so that he could know,
The man whose name's the same.

Yes, some day, Dad, I'll find you,
In God's great beyond;
And we will know each other,
As we should have all along.

I know you've kept an eye on me,
Through all these many years;
And, though now I'm fully-grown,
I still cry "Daddy Tears."

Virginia Ellis Copyright^© 2000
Used with permission