"Before I Bid Adieu..."

 

"Before I Bid Adieu..."

Before I die, I know the truth,

A bitter fate, a painful proof.

No matter how much time has passed,

The weight of loss will always last.

My wife, with words so sharp and cold,

Has shaped their hearts with lies untold.

She’s twisted minds, turned love to hate,

And sealed my fate with such cruel weight.

Not once, not twice, but time and again,

She’s buried me in grief and pain.

With every word, she dug the deep,

A chasm wide where memories sleep.

I gave them all I had to give,

My love, my heart, a will to live.

But in her grip, they turned away,

As if I were the one to blame.

Before I die, I’ll lie alone,

No children near, no love to own.

For they are taught to fear my name,

To see me as the one to blame.

On my deathbed, I'll close my eyes,

And wonder if they’ll hear my cries.

Will they remember who I was,

The father that they never saw?

Will my voice echo in their mind,

A whispered thought, a voice so kind?

Or will I fade into the night,

A shadow lost, out of their sight?

Before I die, I’ll hold them still,

In memories, that time can’t kill.

But as I fade, I know the truth

They’ll never see my love as proof.

They’ll never know the pain I feel,

The hollow ache that won’t heal.

A father’s love, forever given,

Yet never received, not once, not driven.

And so, I wait, but time moves on,

And with each passing day, I’m gone.

Before I die, I will endure,

This grief, this pain forever pure.

Before I die, before I leave,

I’ll carry this sorrow, which is hard to grieve.

A man forsaken, a father lost,

Paying love’s most bitter cost.

But still, I hope, as life slips by,

That in their hearts, they’ll question why.

And maybe, just before I fall,

They’ll find their way, beyond the wall.

But if not, if I’m forgotten there,

I’ll carry this burden, but I'm still aware.

Before I die, I'll let it go

The love I gave, the pain I know.

Jacob M