Father

Arms of steel that lifted me higher than I could reach

That held the weight of every worry I never saw

That swung the hammer, gripped the wheel, steadied the fall

Legs of granite that stood through every season

That walked the floor at midnight, paced the worry, never weakened

That carried the load and kept the pace when the path was uneven

A warrior who fought the battles I’ll never know the names of

Who showed up bruised and still smiled through it

Who never retreated when the world pushed back

A poet who spoke in the pauses between words

Who taught me silence could say everything

Who left meaning in the spaces, not just the sound

A nurturer who fed more than hunger

Who bandaged more than skin

Who grew more than gardens in this house

A bulwark who stood between me and the storm

Who took the hits so the walls never cracked

Who made fear turn back at the door

A fortress unshaken, unbreakable, unmovable

With gates that always opened for me

With walls that never closed me in

A superhero without a cape or a theme song

With only tired eyes and an open heart

With only two hands that did the work of ten

The one who knows it all, who knew exactly when to listen

Who knew the questions I couldn’t ask

Who understood without needing the words

But above all a Father

The calloused hands that built my world

The quiet strength that never faltered

The voice that steadied every storm

The back that bent so I could climb

The early mornings before the sun

The late nights after everyone

The steady breath when I was afraid

The solid ground where my foundations laid

Every scar a lesson carved into those hands

Every silence a sermon spoken in those eyes

Every sacrifice a love note written in the ordinary

Every moment a gift I’m still unwrapping

You are the mountain I measure myself against

The compass that still points me home

The standard I reach toward

The anchor in every unknown

The first face I trusted

The last voice I hear in my head

The reason I know what it means

To be held, to be seen, to be led

You gave without counting

Stood without wavering

Loved without condition

Taught without lecturing

A king without a crown

A hero without a cape

A poet without a page

A father without a pause

This is for you

For the man who made the ordinary sacred

For the footsteps I still follow

For the name I carry with pride