Rich

Stepdad

Buddy 

Best friend 

All of the names I call you 

All of them except dad

I see you as the dad I never got growing up

I know you as the man who wanted me

When we fought and disagreed 

I would curse your name in the wind

And wished mom had never met you

As I grew and matured

I learned you only wanted what was best for me

You wanted to protect me from the cruelness of the world

The world you had seen before me

You showed me the good in the world and what it means to live rich without money

You’ve taught me more than what I could learn in school

What it means to have a loving and supportive family

And how to stand up for myself even when it feels wrong

Rich, you showed me things my father should have

How to check and change my oil

How to fix a flat and fill up on gas

You showed me that I can be the person I want to be

And do the things I want to do 

You didn’t have to be my dad 

But you did because you saw the good in me

And you chose to stick around when things got rough between us

Rich

Stepdad

Buddy 

Best friend 

All of the names I call you 

And I’m proud to call you my dad