I Forgive You

I forgive you,
for all the pain you caused.
I forgive you, for all the nightmares as I slept.
I forgive you,
for tearing away my childhood,
and I forgive you,
for all the years that I wept.

I forgive you,
for walking away,
forgetting about us,
children at play.
I forgive you, for cards never sent,
and phone calls never made.
I forgive you,
for all the advice you never could say.

Because I know what comfort is, beyond the pain,
because I know what beauty rests in dreams beyond the nightmare,
because I know I could never walk away,
and know I could never forget,
and I forgive you, because your not being there, molded me that way.

I forgive you,
for my questioning of what a father could be.
I forgive you, for leaving everything behind,
a small child, wondering what was wrong with me.
I forgive you,
because I found the answers to my questions through my mother.
I forgive you, because somewhere along the lines you left your heart behind,
and I realized it wasn't my fault, that you didn't understand the meaning of caring for a family.

I forgive you,
for walking away,
forgetting about us,
children at play.
I forgive you, sent out a card today....
I forgive you, as you hear my voice on the phone...
I forgive you,
in my attempt to right the wrongs today.