She walks away and doesn’t turn back,
refusing to even kiss him goodbye.
Slowly leaving his grasp is a cold hand,
not the warm one of a child
that he used to know,
and slowly breaking is his heart.

He gave her everything with care from his heart
but she never gave him any love back.
If she respected him he would not know
for she would disregard his saying goodbye,
and she would never act like she was his child
or listen when he told her to put a mitten on her hand.

When crossing the street he’d take her hand
and protect her with his body and heart.
This was only when she was a child,
she can do it alone now and he stays back.
She doesn’t even want to say goodbye
And if he left she wouldn’t know.

He loved to teach her what she didn’t know
and when she struggled he’d give her a hand,
but to their learning together she said goodbye;
there was no room for “Dad” in her heart.
From growing up he tried to hold her back,
though she couldn’t stay forever a child.

The hardest transition was to teen from child,
When she started dating he didn’t know
how to keep his daughter back,
back and away from holding that boy’s hand.
She would so easily give him up her heart
And he would break it, then say goodbye.

He didn’t want to hear her say goodbye
Because he wanted to be there for his child;
He wanted to mend that broken heart.
But she would never let him, that he knows.
She would never again give him her hand
Or say I love you back.
Now she says goodbye and lets him know
That she’s no longer a child and doesn’t need his hand
But she will always need her Father’s heart as he needs her’s back.