Dancing Daddy

Daddy’s got that long hair swinging like a wildfire,

Spinning in the living room, socks sliding on the tile.

He laughs so loud the walls shake,

Moves like he’s in some parade,

And I swear the whole world feels lighter for a while.

And our little grey cat

Circles him like he’s the sun,

Chasing shadows from his feet,

Turning dancing into fun.

Oh, my dancing dad —

You’re a storm and I’m your sky.

You twirl me ‘round the house

Till the minutes learn to fly.

Ink on your skin like stories

You carve in your own way…

But I just see my hero

Who still shows up every day.

He’s got new tattoos he swears

Tell “chapters of his soul.”

Lines and colors on his arms

Like maps that make him whole.

Sometimes he lets me trace them,

Just to prove they don’t mean “tough,”

They mean he’s lived and loved

And that we’re more than strong enough.

And the grey cat jumps in again,

Tail flicking to the beat,

He calls him the “backup dancer”

With the world’s tiniest feet.

Oh, my dancing dad —

You’re a storm and I’m your sky.

You twirl me ‘round the house

Till the minutes learn to fly.

Ink on your skin like stories

You carve in your own way…

But I just see my hero

Who still shows up every day.

One day I’ll dance my own dance,

Maybe far from where we stand…

But I’ll keep your rhythm with me,

The way you held my hand.

And when life gets loud,

And the world feels big and strange,

I’ll remember your crazy spins

And how you made the ordinary change.

Oh, my dancing dad —

You’re the magic in the room.

Your long hair flying everywhere,

Turning laughter into bloom.

Ink on your skin like pathways

That lead me back your way…

And I’ll always be your daughter

Who loves you more each day.