daddy's dear

i.
a child sits and reads to her father
the words are nothing more than dark spots on white paper
what does he see that she doesn’t?
“somebody’s been sleeping in my bed”

ii.
he finds himself starring into the mirror late one night
he fingers the deep lines of his handsome face
tracing his lips and nose

they are the deep dark proud prominent traits of his
ancestors of past generations
dominant and ever present but

they seem to be absent on the face of the child
hers are lighter and frailfully soft
obviously from a different past

raindrops appear in the corners of his storming eyes
his torment face becomes torrid
regal turns to rage

iii.
wife asleep
beat beat
wake bitch
what’s wrong
whose is she
she who
her
her who
whose is she
she’s ours
not ours yours
be for real
i am