addie

a dying father speaks to his daughter.

addie, darlin',
come close
and let your old man
pass on a bit of wisdom
before he passes on.

addie, i'll tell ya,
one day
(hopefully later rather than sooner)
you'll be a woman.
not a woman
like you see on t.v.,
but a
wo
man.

and addie,
it's damned hard for a lady
to live in a man's world
('course, bein' a man myself,
i ain't exactly speakin' from experience).
but let me tell you somethin'--
you don't ever let no man
step on you,
abuse you,
use you.

you be strong,
you be a
wo
man,
and life will pave roads for you.
life will--
it'll--
it'll be your little doll.

ah, hell.
addie,
go and fetch your daddy
a handkerchief.

he's got a tear in his eye.

Author's Note

Advice I hope to someday give to my daughter.

Reviews

[Blue Moon Ice Cream]

I feel like this was written for me, since I sometimes go by the name Addie. Outstanding job with the tone of voice. I love how you can feel the strength of the father-daughter relationship. The ending made me want to cry myself, remembering some of the conversations I've had with my dad.

[Short.Nerd]

Wow that was some excellent advice to give your daughter. :) Its something that every father should say to their daughter. Great job :) I loved the ending of this.

[Miss Anna]

This is beautiful, I've heard words like this so often from my own father that they've gotten old, but given from another perspective it kind of reminded me that there's real meaning there, they're not just words. Thank you.

[misha]

This is a sweet piece and very touching. Great write!

[Miss Fox]

I almost feel as though it's ironic, the "wo
man"
makes it seem as though she has to be masculine to survive, not a lady. And sending her for a handkerchief is using her.
Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm just cynical. If I don't try to read into things that very likely aren't there, it's a very lovely poem.

[ju]

really like this. very touching- the voice feels very real.