"Dear Dad"

Brandon
Pecos Middle School
San Miguel County, NM

Dad, I remember
The memories fresh in my mind
The pain imprinted on my heart

Dad, our mother you hurt
A good woman, she did her time
She never set us apart

My brother and I
When we did well
We were just like our old man

My brother and I
When we did badly
We were just like our mom

We were hurt like our mother
Who wiped our eyes
Who assuaged our fears

Here I am, becoming a man myself
Will it please you
If someday I hurt a woman too?

Will it please you
If someday my own children
Never call me “Dad”?