He Always Came Back for Us

My dad, My distant hero He always came back for us. My mom tried to keep him away, Away from my brother, sister, and I By telling lies and making accusations. He lost us to the courts, And to our mother’s abusive behavior. But it didn’t matter, He would call and would visit When he was allowed to. She remarried, and moved us, And tried to make us tell our father That we didn’t want to talk to him. But he called anyway. He was moved to Nevada. Lost his home to a fire. So he slept in a car. And still called. He couldn’t afford child support, And declared bankruptcy, But saved and lived simple, So he could visit to see me graduate. I used to wonder why he tried so hard. The divorce was so long ago, I was only three. I was actually mad at him for a while, For letting mom take us. I’ve come to realize, That he fought tooth and nail, Just to hear our voices for 10 minutes. I’ve come to realize, That thanks to my dad, I know what love is. He could have given up. After losing us, Losing his home, Losing his money. Didn’t even owe support anymore. He could have walked away. But he always came back for us.