Super Dad? Nah, he’s the supporting Father

 

Since birth,

In the middle of the oldest and the youngest,

Towering over,

Used to being overshadowed,

My dad became a quiet follower.

 

He grew accustomed to the darkness,

Spent lots of time in its company,

Soon, he became one with the shadows,

He sewed his cloak into his skin

And the quiet assurance of silence

Became his kin.

 

He picked up lessons while tracing footsteps,

Watching people rise and fall,

Being the silent backbone while empathising through it all,

Heart growing bigger, though he remains small.

 

At times I worry if,

He spends so much time out of the spotlight

He will forget to come out during the roll call.

 

When I was born,

He continued to his silent parenting role,

Never the disciplinarian,

But always adopting different roles,

Like the self-help book recommendation librarian,

The calming catalyst of chill vibes,

The reasonable rational authoritarian,

The goofy dad-jokes personnel.

All while remaining the supporting character in the shadows of the grand hall.

 

And dad,

I know you don’t have your own shadow

No one to support you,

No dad to follow,

As much as you are forty nine,

You feel your fatherhood is on the line

 

But let me reassure you this

You have been the best dad I could ask for

 

You’ve laid the plans of values I build my life on

Caught me when I fell and held my hands

You’ve pulled me back from the cliffs I wanted to dive from

Helped me pay for my consequences you never earned

You’ve taught me more about love than a boy ever can

 

And in the end,

After all the heartbreak,

The pain,

The hurtful words,

And wounds we earned,

 

To be a family is to choose to love despite of everything

 

Thank you Dad

For being my shadow

I know the darker you become

The brighter I’ll glow

‘

And,

I promise to shine in this life

While never forgetting to turn and see the mark of your love and time