Dear Dad

[Intro - Spoken] Dear Dad... I've been meaning to call... I know... I'm about thirty-five years late. [Verse 1] I was only fifteen when you left this life. Some days... I still wish you'd stayed. But I understand you were hurting. Funny how both of those things can be true. [Pre-Chorus] Anyway... Let me catch you up on the last thirty-five years. [Verse 2] I got married. I had two amazing kids— you would've loved them. The marriage? Well... it didn't work out. I bought a townhouse. There were years I didn't recognize who I was anymore. Let's... not talk about that guy. [Chorus] There's so much I never got to tell you. Some of it beautiful, some of it broke me. Most of it... was just life. I wish we could've had one ordinary afternoon to talk about all of it. [Verse 3] I started writing songs. I finally found my voice. I'm doing better now. One of them... was about marrying a rotisserie chicken. ...I can explain. Actually... no. Maybe I can't. It involves a duck. Don't ask. [Verse 4] The cats still think my face is furniture. There's a rocket snail named Bob. A fuzzy blue llama found him and loved him exactly as he was. Then they met a waffle-stealing ferret named Kevin. They're the family that chaos built. ...Sound familiar? [Bridge] You missed birthdays, graduations, heartbreak, healing, gray hairs, inside jokes, music... The woman I became. Sometimes... I wonder what you'd think of her. [Final Chorus] There's so much I never got to tell you. Some of it beautiful, some of it broke me most of it was just life. I think... you would've laughed at the chicken song. You would've loved your grandkids. You probably would've spoiled the cats. And I think... you would've liked who I became. [Outro] Anyway... That's the short version. We've got about thirty-five years left to catch up on. Love, your daughter.