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In the shadows of my choices, I stand alone,  

A father’s love, buried deep, yet seldom shown.  

Through the bars and the silence, I lost my way,  

A drifting soul, caught in a reckless fray.  

I loved my daughter, my heart's true light,  

But my lifestyle stole those precious times  

Jail cells echoed with dreams left unchased,  

While time slipped by, and moments erased.  

When freedom came, I reached for the phone,  

But plans crumbled, as fate had overthrown.  

Each call a promise, yet silence would reign,  

As I stumbled again into cycles of pain.  

Now she stands, a mother of two,  

With laughter and love, so vibrant and true.  

The eldest, a fire, fierce and bold,  

Unafraid to speak, her spirit untold.  

The youngest, a whisper, in shadows she hides,  

Guarding her heart, where trust often resides.  

I see in her eyes the echoes of me,  

In their laughter, the love that could be.  

Regret wraps around me, a heavy shroud,  

For the years lost, for the moments unbowed.  

I missed their tomorrows, their laughter and tears,  

Like I missed their mother through all of those years.

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