Can’t you see me jumping up and down and
waving my arms frantically
or are you too caught up in everything wrong that
you ignore your own daughter?
Can’t you hear my shrill voice calling your name
or do you only hear your own frustration
and your own pleas?

You are not blind,
You are not deaf,
I know you see me,
I know you hear me,
But you don’t acknowledge me.

I force myself to give a reprieve;
Glaring in a feebly blatant display of my disappointment in you.
And you just stare blankly as she fires her words;
the poison dripping from her blood-stained lips
corrupts your already tainted and shriveled soul.
But you turn a deaf ear to my warnings.
You just execute your perfect imitation of a statue:
not looking as fierce or strong as a man should be.

You are a man
and yet you cannot stand up to the face
of a woman.
You are a man
and yet you do nothing to stop this display
of hate.
You are a man
and yet I feel no pride or admiration
when I look at you.

How can I build myself a fortress when your house
of straw is being blown down?
How can I be a rock and stand my ground when you are
a reed bending and faltering in the slightest of winds?
How can I be a decent girl when I don’t have a willful father’s
footsteps to follow?

I need a father to look up to
and unfortunately,
that man is you.