Under the late June sun,

she sits in the cold water,

fish nibble on her toes.

Sea shells surround her.

She stares up at the sky;

clouds shaped like fathers and daughters float along.

Ten years have gone

and her dad hasn’t come back.

Life goes on and she follows.

 

Around father’s day every year,

her wound hurts so much, she stays in bed.

Yet she is one of the few fatherless daughter’s who understands why he’s gone.

Empathy keeps her from being angry.

Mental illness affects each person differently.

And his chases him away.

He has never had a phone or a social media account.

He is like a lone wolf that doesn’t howl at the moon.

It took her a long time to stop blaming herself.

Sometimes she still revisits that guilt.

But it’s time to let it go.

She dives into the water.

Never lose hope.