The Cookie That Escaped

(READ "SAY HER NAME) FIRST

This poem is about a father who was there-but not present. A man who had dreams too big for the living room, and a family too real for his comfort. It's about watching someone chase status, respect, and control, while losing the very people closest to him. It's the ache of not being chosen, of being forgotten behind recliners, politics, and God-talk.

But it's not just about him. It's about the ripple. The confusion. The way his silence echoed in all our rooms. It's about growing up in the leftovers of someone else's lost potential, and trying to hold onto your creativity-your self-when everything around you is trying to smother it.

It's messy. It's real. It's what happens when people want the title, but not the responsibility.