once a little girl went to her
grade one class and sat down for
the morning, her lunch awaiting
her in the hall.

once the bell rang, she hurried
with the rest of the children to
fetch their lunches.

she opened hers and inside was
a special treat to the lunch and
a note cut into a heart.

"hope you have a good day.
love, daddy"

and so this little girl grew up
knowing the sweet things that
could happen and did happen
to her.

she loved her father and even
though he wasn't always near,
she could expect him to call her
every night.

soon the teenage years came
along and she grew annoyed
with these phone calls though
she took them nonetheless.

when she moved in with her father,
things were good for quite awhile.

she began worried for his illness
but in time grew to deny he would
succumb and he would make it
through.

thus, she sometimes turned down
walks with him to the grocery store.

and now, this girl would give anything
to have him ask her for another walk
for in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

no more phone calls, no more hugs, no
more laughter or invitations for walks.

she was left alone on the brink of adult-
hood where he could no longer be the
safety net in which she fell.

time had passed and yet she could never
fill that empty spot, that tugging in her
heart whenever she said it over and over
in her head, "he's gone."