Having a dad is green pancakes
for dinner and shoulder rides
and saying goodbye every morning
as we drive away,
while he does an absurd run
beside the car.
Having a dad is long walks
and drawing together
and watching old movies
that no other kid
has ever heard of.
Having a dad is blunt truths
and foot massages
and learning to be funny
by watching him
make everyone
laugh.
I never had one
so I find myself
watching my kids
have a dad
like I would watch
a nature show
about possums.
They fight sometimes
and he can be moody
if he hasn’t slept,
but if I was narrating it,
I would whisper
in that nature-show way,
shh, look closely,
here he goes,
doing it again,
wrapping them
in that feeling
called safe.