Charade
There are those who attempt to convince us
Being tough with your children is a favor to them
Prepares them for the world’s harshness, teaches them to expect disappointment and loss
But there is ample time to become hardened and rough
I promise you, I will never do you this favor
I will fight to keep gentle your thoughts and mind
Hide those harsh things away in my own heart
To forbid them from reaching you
Ensure your little spirit is light and beautiful
Until the world makes it impossible to continue my charade
Even when I don’t know if it will ever be ok again
Because sometimes when you sleep I can hear you dream
When I lie awake thinking of my failures
As I promise myself I will do better tomorrow
Pray you don’t notice the hastily packed lunch
And the wrinkles on the uniform I didn’t press
Or the fact that a drive through is dinner, yet again
Hope that a cold shower did enough
To wash the stinging redness from my face
Which would be too clear a view of reality
That all the guilt and fear could slip down the drain
Dissolve in the water and disappear forever, never finding you
Desperate that you will remember the good days
That I can give you a house full of stories and songs
Overflowing with all the love I could ever create
I wish for those dreams to come true someday
No matter how unlikely this world will make them