If I Had a Daughter

# If I had a daughter… I’m going to tell her that I’ll always be there for her, Ready to listen when no one hears her, Lend her my shoulder when everyone pushes her away, Remind her that no one can hurt her now that I’m here. And she’s going to learn that soon enough, When the sun isn’t always there to kiss her face, Or when the clouds shroud her path, But I’ll tell her that even the moon has gone through darkness, Yet it continues to shine with the stars The first time she realizes that I won’t be here for long, Is the time I’ll teach her to be alone To fight when her weapons turn to rust, And to get back up when there’s no one left to break her fall. I’ll make sure she knows hard work does wonders, That it blows sweet air into your lungs when you know, You gave it your all, Because I know how it feels to give up, And suffer in silence with no one to understand my regret. "And, sweetheart," I'll tell her, You can do amazing things, You can soar through the heavenly skies, Stretch your arms higher than I ever could. I want her to feel every struggle the world throws at her, Because no good deed ever comes without pain, No tunnel reaches its light unless you pass through its darkness, Only then will she learn to soak up every moment, And appreciate the life that tempts to end. There’s nothing more beautiful, Than the way the rain leaves the earth with a refreshing aroma, How the sun shines across the color palette we call the sky, I hope you keep me in your heart just as I took care of yours. You will speak your mind louder than I could ever shout, Forgive those that did you wrong just as I failed to do, Look at the brighter side of things, Don’t revel in the dark where no matter how hard I tried, I could never get out of. Remember to always consider other people’s feelings, But don’t ever let them ruin that precious smile you hold, If I had a daughter, I’ll teach her how to live without me, The one thing I never learned to do for my own.