Daddy I Miss You | Teen Ink

Daddy I Miss You

September 4, 2009
By Malia BRONZE, Birmingham, Other
Malia BRONZE, Birmingham, Other
3 articles 0 photos 8 comments

I wake up to an unfamiliar surrounding
Your absence has changed everything
“You're not here daddy, you're out of sight”
“You’re not here daddy and nothing’s right”
I long to hear the sound of your voice
I'm stuck with a photo of you and no choice

I lye awake in the middle of the night
It's a nightmare struggling through this plight
I need a lullaby, a kiss goodnight
The happy memories I try to fight
Suddenly I smell your presence
And my happiness is immense
But this blissful feeling is ripped away
Today is just like every other day
As I realise it’s only your crisp white shirt I’m holding tight
A tear trickled down my cheek as I whispered “Goodnight”

Life without you continued this way
The pain eventually faded away
For years you were far from my touch
Your absence was not felt much
You left me as a child broken
I was grief-stricken with words unspoken
I don’t know who I am without you
I’m incomplete “daddy”, if only you knew
This empty void has been with me too long
When you came back into my life after so long
Having to carry on felt wrong
I won’t let you make me unhappy
Because you’re no longer my “daddy”

I continued to strive for happiness
On my pursuit of ending this emptiness
Unknowingly I searched for fatherly qualities in other men
I look back to see how reckless I was then
To them, I grew so emotionally attached
And this feeling I never wanted to dispatch
A father figure is what I was seeking
Without you there’s something missing
I’m constantly feeling inadequate even to this day
Love, Care & Support was all you had to pay
But you never bothered to be near
Not having you in my life caused me to veer
I find myself veering; I’m lost


The author's comments:
This poem is about a helpless four year old girl who longs for her father's presence after he walks out on her. Then as the poem progresses it shifts forward into the present tense where she has kept strong without having a father figure and escalates into deep anger when her feelings towards her father fluctuate intensely.

I wrote this through my personal experience of how not having a father figure affected me at times. There comes a point in your life when you're reminded that you're missing that one parent and it hits you hard. No matter how many mistakes they’ve made and no matter how much they have hurt you. You wish they could change.

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This article has 79 comments.


on Mar. 14 2011 at 6:15 pm
dezzyskittles SILVER, Midland, Michigan
5 articles 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
you dont know what you have until its to late.

My dad left when i was 5. He always said he would come back. Im 14 now and the only thing ive gotten from him was a call. which was a minute long & he only called to let me know he was getting married. My dad had a white shirt that i really loved and i kept it. i cried every night when he left and just 2 days ago he called and asked me if we could start over i said idk. i told him i hated him and never wanted to talk to him again. But even tho he walked out it doesnt matter anymore. i mean im still mad but atleast he left then. Also my mom died when i was 7. back in 2005 so it was really tough. but what should i do? should i let him have another chance?

Pickles-29 said...
on Mar. 14 2011 at 5:18 pm
Pickles-29, Boise, Idaho
0 articles 0 photos 24 comments
I really like this poem thought it was great. I can't relate but i can feel all your hard times.

on Mar. 10 2011 at 3:39 pm
holly.nicole SILVER, Templeton, Massachusetts
9 articles 0 photos 33 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's Only Awkward, If You Make It Awkward."

wow this poem is amazing :O :)

on Feb. 20 2011 at 10:21 pm
CarleeRobin12 GOLD, Pitsburg, Ohio
12 articles 4 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
I love you has 8 letters but so does bullsh*t.....

This poem is amazing,  can't relate to it but I can feel the intense saddness and hardtimes you had to go through. If two words could sum this poem up, they would have to be "breath taking".

x0x0xJ SILVER said...
on Feb. 20 2011 at 7:45 pm
x0x0xJ SILVER, Wood Dale, Illinois
7 articles 0 photos 63 comments

Favorite Quote:
Sometimes the thoughts in my head get bored and go for a stroll out through my mouth. This is rarely a good thing.

Made me so sad.. :( You did a veryyy good job on this! I love this poem! :)

on Feb. 20 2011 at 4:57 pm
manda315 SILVER, Voorhees, New Jersey
7 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
Piglet:&quot;How do you spell love?&quot;<br /> Pooh:&quot;You can&#039;t spell love. You feel it.&quot;

I love this poem! My father walked out on me when I was 5 years old. The poem has so much life that it comes alive. I really hope your poetry carrer blooms like a flower.

on Jan. 29 2011 at 10:38 pm
lovetowrite22 SILVER, ..., Colorado
5 articles 0 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Everything happens for a reason.&quot;

i like this poem, i think it was very good. i especially liked the, "I lye awake in the middle of the night
It's a nightmare struggling through this plight
I need a lullaby, a kiss goodnight
The happy memories I try to fight
Suddenly I smell your presence
And my happiness is immense
But this blissful feeling is ripped away
Today is just like every other day
As I realise it’s only your crisp white shirt I’m holding tight
A tear trickled down my cheek as I whispered 'Goodnight'", because it gave me a vivid image of what your character was feeling; it also flowed very well. overall, nice piece:) please come look at my writings:)

on Jan. 7 2011 at 8:22 pm
I.Hope.You.Dance. SILVER, Somewhere In, Florida
8 articles 9 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I would define, in brief the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty!&quot; -Edgar Allan Poe<br /> <br /> &quot;...All little girls should be told they&#039;re pretty, even if they aren&#039;t.&rdquo; -Marilyn Monroe!

I really love this poem. My dad walked out on me when I was six weeks. This is such an amazing poem, I love it!

on Jan. 7 2011 at 2:07 pm
Princesssdez SILVER, Canton, Massachusetts
5 articles 0 photos 2 comments

Favorite Quote:
Actions speaks louder thank words......<br /> childhood best friends stays in your life forever, high school and middle school best friends tend to leave and solemnly stays permanently, college best friends are their but the ones who stays are your lifetime

i love this poem, becacuse i can 100% relate to this poem, i grew up w/o a father and now that im gettn to know him its hard to cope w/ tho at times.....

on Jan. 7 2011 at 11:34 am
Shminkanator5000 SILVER, Rochester, New York
9 articles 0 photos 67 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;the only thing we have to fear is fear itself&quot;

This was so amazing! I felt simpathetic to the little girl, and as she grew you could tell how the pain never fully goes away, it just changes as time goes on. 5 stars! Check out some of my work? Thanks =)

tiger29 SILVER said...
on Jan. 7 2011 at 10:15 am
tiger29 SILVER, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
8 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
life is short,injoy the ride..

i love it... same thing happened to me when  i was 5...i was dieing in my heart that my own father left but i understand were your commin from:) good job!

on Dec. 16 2010 at 1:39 pm
heather_marie PLATINUM, Deshler, Ohio
21 articles 2 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
\\\&quot;Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice, but falling in love with you was beyond my control

wow this poem hit home for me i lost my dad in an early age so i can realate and the part when u said how the girl was serching for a father figure through other men its deffinatly me i guess ive been serching for a father figure all along just someone to hold me and give me security but anyway im rambleing lol ur a very good poet ur poem brok my heart. this is a deffinate fave of mine:)

on Dec. 16 2010 at 12:59 pm
Almost_Lover GOLD, Mission, South Dakota
14 articles 0 photos 82 comments
This is exactly how I feel about my dad, I love him more than my mom even though he was never there for me.

on Dec. 9 2010 at 1:47 pm
Inlove4ever BRONZE, Haddenham, Other
2 articles 0 photos 15 comments

Favorite Quote:
I have loved you forever and forever will!

same, my dad left and jst lives down the road! and it's anoying and because he hasn't been in my life, when he wants me there i say no!

slr511 BRONZE said...
on Dec. 8 2010 at 1:30 pm
slr511 BRONZE, Plaquemine, LA, Louisiana
1 article 0 photos 4 comments
I enjoyed the use of descriptions and rhyme in the poem. The lines brought images in my mind while reading. These two lines spoke to me in a heart warming way  'I long to hear the sound of your voice"(L-5) but " I'm stuck with a photo of you and no choice." (L-6) The poem could use more examples on how the girl feels.

on Nov. 24 2010 at 11:52 am
just-a-joy GOLD, Indianapolis, Indiana
12 articles 0 photos 71 comments

Favorite Quote:
Eminem: Success is my only option, failure&#039;s not

i feel exactlylike this after my dad leaft my family when i was little

on Nov. 24 2010 at 11:37 am
dancer0529 BRONZE, Arlington Heights, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
tee hee tee hee: my dad and me and my friend at 1 in the morning

This is really good!! When I was reading it, I had a tear in my eye

on Nov. 24 2010 at 10:49 am
PoeticTouch GOLD, Saida, Other
11 articles 0 photos 47 comments

Favorite Quote:
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow

this is absolutely greatt!! i lovee it. it is so movingg. check out some of my work if u get the chance:) thanks..

Jess said...
on Jul. 15 2010 at 8:12 am
One word: WOW

Paris x said...
on Jul. 5 2010 at 2:52 pm
I can totaly relate to this on so many levels, honestly malia you're very gifted keep doing what you're dong ....