D Dawson

In shadows cast by absent love's embrace, I sought the warmth of a father's face. His love, a ghost, a whisper in the air, Left me yearning, lost in deep despair. I looked for solace in another's eyes, In fleeting love, in desperate, tear-stained tries. Yet each embrace, a hollow, empty plea, No man could fill the void left deep in me. An older brother, eight years gone ahead, A surrogate, a guide, in his stead. His strength, my anchor, yet he drifts away, I cannot hold him, despite how I pray. A stepfather's presence, solid and kind, Grateful I am, yet words I cannot find. A chasm wide between us, unspoken fear, His love sincere, but I remain unclear. Rejected, countless times, by hearts so cold, Each "no" a dagger, stories left untold. Unwanted, unseen, in this quest for more, My heart, a vessel washed upon the shore. Why doesn't anyone love me, I cry, Beneath the stars in the empty sky. Yet somewhere deep, a hope begins to bloom, A quiet whisper in the darkest room. For love, perhaps, is more than what I seek, In others' hearts, in moments soft and meek. Maybe, in the end, it's within me to find, A love unbroken, tender, unconfined.