I did this show last Father's Day
When I got off stage this guy came over to me and told me I reminded him of God
And I told him the only thing perfect about me is my family
30 fingers and 30 toes, all God-like
And my daughter speak to me in a voice I imagine God's would sound like
Speaking to me of a future like the kind I dream of living
And one day, she'll grow to be a woman no man will ever deserve like her mother
Who make melodies out of moonshine, fingers touch me
The things that all nice girls are made out of, like the song say
And our son will someday grow to be something more amazing than we ever imagined
Like a mustard seed moving mountains like a grain of sand
And together, they will conquer the world
And all I could say was I was witness to it
And I couldn't be more clever
Believe me, I tried
But this is not about poetry or sounding prolific
It's about a black man's pride in a world
Trying to make things harder than they already are for him
Trying to find beauty in the ugliness of it all
And we are all trying to escape that darkness or nothingness
In a never-ending story of the human condition
And you'll never hear me say I'm only human
Because saying it like that can make it sound like a bad thing
Because life as a poet is harder than it looks
Road trips make my babysitter see my baby more than I do
And its hard, right?
Picture two weeks gone, come home to relief through hugs and kisses
Then come painful reminders like questions with even harder to explain answers like
"Daddy, do you still love me?"
I thought I'd die when she asked me that
My heart felt like... I ain't got a metaphor for that
It just hurts
So I try to keep composure and explain to her everything she needs to hear
To let her know her daddy will always be here
And tears form under eyelashes pregnant with guilt
And she says, "Daddy, don't cry"
And hugs me
And rubs my head
And I break down later in areas of my house I keep my secrets in
And even later I whisper things to them all in their sleep
I only wish I had the courage to tell them when they were awake
And that's what makes this stage so safe
All the comfort of a fourth wall and a three-dimensional world
All the trappings I could ask for
See I sacrifice every time I step to the mic
So you tell me if what I'm saying is worth missing my family for
Thank you