Letters I Never Sent

I keep your name tucked in the corner of my mind;

Like a photograph

I found but never had the time;

To ask the little questions, to hear the stories deep;

Now silence fills the spaces where your laughter used to sleep;

I was young and always running;

You were there but I was gone;

Now I hear your voice in memory;

And I wish I'd held on long;

Dad, I wish I could've known you better;

Beyond the lines your hands had weathered;

The dreams you had, the roads you traveled;

The heart you gave before it unraveled;

Dad, I wish

I could have known you better;

There are so many moments that

I carry by myself;

Questions hanging on the edges of a shell;

Did you ever feel the weight you never let me see?

Did you hope

I'd grow into the man you meant for me?

Yeah, I was busy chasing daylight;

You were standing in the rain;

Now I trade a thousand tomorrows for one more chance to say your name;

Yes, I wish I could've known you better;

Beyond the lines your hands have weathered;

The dreams you hid;

The roads you traveled;

The heart you gave;

Before it unraveled there;

I wish I could have known you there;

If heaven keeps the stories;

That you never told;

I hope you know I'm listening;

Even now I'm slow,

I forgive the time we lost;

The distance we held tight;

And I'll carry your unfinished song into the night;

If love can cross this island;

And I know it will;

That I wish I could've known you there;

Beyond the lines your hands were;

The dreams you had, the roads you traveled;

The heart you gave before they unraveled;

That I wish I could've know you better;

So I'll speak to you in echoes when the house is still;

And love you with the answers that

I never will;

Dad, I wish

I could have known you better;