Stolen Years

I had my whole life ahead of me, a future bright and clear, but you pressed charges, Dad, and filled my heart with fear. All the times you abused me, not once did I cry for help, but you, who promised never to snitch, left me to fend for myself.

I was just sixteen, with dreams so vast, the future gleaming, but it vanished fast. In the courtroom's glare, your eyes were cold. The man who raised me, now betraying bold.

You told the doctors who had hit you, with a voice devoid of shame. Casting me away, leaving me to bear the blame. I was your son, your flesh and blood, yet you watched as my life was dragged through the mud.

Eighteen years, a sentence long and cruel. Time stolen, a bright life turned into a darkened pool. For a moment's fury, for a slip of rage, You locked me in a cage, turned a boy to a man with age.

I sat in the cell, day after day, haunted by the words I couldn't say. I hated you, I cursed your name, Yet deep inside, I bore the shame.

I never turned to the police, though your fists made me bleed, I kept our secret, though your anger was my creed. I thought you loved me, in your twisted way, but you sent me away, to keep your pain at bay.

No matter how mad I am, no matter the hate, I’m sorry I hurt you, despite this fate. For in my heart, a conflict brews, between the anger and the love I still choose.

You were my father, my guide, my light, Yet you betrayed me, turned day into night. I sit here now, with eighteen years gone, Wondering where I went wrong, how I became your pawn.

I remember the nights, the screams, the cries. The broken promises, the countless lies. Yet still, a part of me longs for your praise, for the father I knew in my early days.

I see your face in my dreams, haunting and clear, Your voice a whisper, both far and near. You taught me to fight, to never back down, yet you were the one who made me drown.

Eighteen years of sorrow, eighteen years of pain, Living in the shadow of your disdain. For a mistake, a moment's lapse, you let my world collapse.

But Dad, can you see the boy you broke? The life you shattered with a single stroke? I was just a child, lost and afraid. In your twisted love, I was betrayed.

No matter the years, no matter the cost, I mourn the relationship we lost. For every tear, for every sigh, I still seek the reason why.

Why did you choose to send me away? To watch my future decay? In the silent nights, I question it all. The rise, the fall, the endless call.

I had dreams of greatness, a path so wide, but you clipped my wings, forced me to hide. In the darkness of the cell, I found my way, but the scars remain, the price I pay.

Can you hear my cries, do you feel my pain? Or are you lost in your own disdain? I was your son, your pride, your joy, yet you turned me into a broken toy.

Eighteen years, a life on hold, memories of youth turned bitter and cold. But still, within, a glimmer of hope, a fragile thread, a frayed rope.

I want to forgive, I want to heal, but the wound is deep, the pain too real. I struggle to find the words to say. To make sense of the price I pay.

Dad, I’m sorry for the hurt I caused. For the moment of weakness, the lines I crossed. But can you see the boy in me, lost in the shadows, yearning to be free?

Eighteen years, a journey long, from the depths of despair to finding my song. I stand before you, a man reborn. From the ashes of a life forlorn.

No matter the anger, no matter the strife, I still mourn the loss of a father’s life. For in my heart, you will always reside, a complex blend of love and pride.

So here I am, with tears in my eyes, a broken spirit that still tries. to make sense of the past, to heal the pain, to find peace, to break the chain.

For though you hurt me, though you betrayed, I seek a way for peace to be made. Eighteen years may mark my fall, but today I rise, forgiving all.