Thirty-one years ago today
A father gave his daughter away
The sun was shining, the sky so blue
As both of them whispered their "I dos"
The love in her heart was oh, so pure
Their lives together would surely endure
The first indiscretion didn't take long
And left her wondering what she'd done wrong?
So she worked even harder to make him a home
But it just didn't matter, for still he did roam
After three years their first son was born
A reason to celebrate that early morn
Things would get better, more like her dreams
No one ever heard her internal screams
With a husband and baby things couldn't be bad
She should be thankful for this life that she had
Two children followed, and those three were her life
She tried hard to raise them in spite of the strife
She'd wait to leave him until they were grown
Her nightmares and heartache she held as her own
After seventeen years to her father she cried
It's over, he's gone, please know how I've tried
As he hugged her and gently wiped her tears away
I've never been prouder of you, she heard him say.

Linda Tiuch