*********too Late

As a little girl she would say “Daddy, Let’s go outside and play.” But Daddy would never go He never let his love for her show In grade school she grew to love art Although she won many awards, her dad never took part She always wondered if he was proud of her Yet he never expressed what his feelings were In 8th grade she won the lead in the school play She couldn’t wait to run home and tell Dad that day Though she rambled on and on, he didn’t say a word And as he stared at the TV, she wondered if he’d even heard As a freshman she got asked to prom By the basketball captain, whose name was Tom She walked on air the rest of the day But couldn’t help but worry what Dad would say Just before graduation, while out with a friend She never even saw the sign, marked Dead End The last thought she had before passing on Was “Will Dad even miss me when I’m gone?” To the funeral, hundreds of people came And although her father still looked the same You couldn’t hide the grief upon his face His heart was filled with empty space He finally realized what he had done His heart had been so set on having a son If only he could take back all the times When he’s passed up reading her nursery rhymes For the first time in years, her father shed a tear Finally whispering the words she’d always longed to hear “Sweetheart, I know now it’s too late, But you’ll always be my little girl. I love you, Kate.”