No More Empty Praise

I have prayed and prayed and prayed, You don't listen ... I see the man who Raised me, the man who worked his Ass off day after day after 14-hour day, The man who sacrificed EVERYthing so His family could do and have and see And experience what so many other Families could not, the man who got Up at all hours in order to fill emergency Prescriptions for people in town, the Man who spent what few free hours he Had on committees and boards and Organizations, in order to make a Better world for his town and family, The man who let EVERYone, some of His friends included, walk all over his Kindness for the sake of character, the Man who let the townsfolk PASS on tens Of thousands of dollars of debt when He sold his business, all for the sake Of being kind and understanding, the Man who always took a back seat to his Beloved wife for the sake of true love And being the "good husband", the Man who worked SO hard that he rarely Got to see his children or spend time Having fun or just enjoying life, the Man who has NEVER made an enemy In this entire world, because integrity And kindness were his compass - his True North - I see this man crumbling Before my eyes, the incredibly acute Mind that was valedictorian of his class At MCP, struggling to grasp what's Real and what isn't, the once strong Legs, shuffling and buckling with Almost every step, the once sharp And twinkling eyes now fading - one Gone, and one going - this amazingly GOOD man, once larger than life And the tower of strength and Character, is slowly fading from his Pedestal, and You are NOT listening To my prayers! Please, give him BACK! If you're going to take him, take him With dignity and kindness and love, Give BACK to him the things he has Given to us and life and You! Isn't That the very LEAST he deserves?!? Not this slow, painful, undignified Decay ... he is worth SO much more Than this! Take ME instead, and give Him back his family, and his vitality, And his pedestal - he EARNED it, Stone-by-stone he built it with His hands and the sweat of his toil! Why don't You hear me? Are you Determined to have me forsake you For all time? I want my father BACK ... Is that not but a small thing for The One, The All, The Everything?!? The being who created the heavens And Earth and Universe can't grant Me this small request?? Where ARE You?? Answer me!! No ... I didn't Think so. Be forsaken, then ... there Can be no good in this, no lesson, No grand wisdom gained, no "God Has a better plan", just the slow Deterioration of the best man I've ever Known! There is nothing godly or Sacred in that, and you are either NOT, Or you are CRUEL! Either way, I shall Waste no more time on You!! Be The useless receiver of everyone ELSE's praises and worship, you shall Not be mine, for there is no justice Or glory or grand purpose in what You're doing to my father, just Negligence, cruelty, or The Grand Lie. DONE. ** This was an emotional poem, written out of pain, sadness, and anger ... I pray you take it as such, and not a commentary or judgement on my personal beliefs. It was a purge of sorts, and I believe those things are important to share, as well as the joyous. **