The strongest hands that hold us
The deepest tone of voice,
We’re introduced to fathers
As tiny girls and boys

They toss us high as toddlers
And keep us safe from harm,
Defending and protecting
With the mightiest of arm

They’re unmatched superheros
Who can’t do any wrong,
Until we reach our teenage years
And elsewhere we belong

But always, for the better
They keep a watchful eye,
Often down on bended knee
Praying for our lives

And time goes by, and lives live out
With spouses, homes, and tests,
While a father’s arms grow weaker
And he sells his empty nest

But never does his love for us
Fade along with years,
It grows and spreads across the miles
Still braving all our fears

And though the cape has faded
In the years since we did part,
It’s never left his shoulders
And we’ve never left his heart

~ Leana Delle
Sunday, June 16, 2019
2019 Sunday Poetry Challenge – Number twenty-three of fifty-two