To my father,
Now that I’m big
I think a lot about when I was a kid
I never liked the phrase
‘Chip off the old block’
Because I always thought it meant that you thought of yourself
As more of a piece
And less of a rock
I thought it said less about where you came from
And did your place of origin disservice by placing an age on it
So I’m reminded of a sculpture
A statue
Where pieces are taken from the bigger figure
To make the smaller one whole
And it comes off way more powerful and impactful
When I see all the things that come
With not having a present, active father can do
And I’m reminded of how easy it could have been to
Stray or leave like so many others chose
Choose
You stayed with us to give us
All the best pieces of you
At great risk to yourself
And maybe that’s the point of the statue 
To remind us of how much you gave us 
For us to give back to you
So I’m using this space to pay you back
For decades of “borrowed” clothes and eaten snacks
For sleepless nights and lessons learned
And all the twists and bends and turns
And now that I’m a father too
I’m reminded that
You made being a dad look like the coolest thing to do
I never had to look to sitcom dads
Because I wanted to be just like you
Thank you for allowing me to find my way
When I’m angry or upset, showing me how to respond
Illustrating how to treat a lady by how you treat my mom
Thank you for never leaving us
Thank you for even if you doubted us
Always showing up, supporting, and believing in us
I wouldn’t be me without you
Thank you for all you’ve taught to get me here
For raising your grandchildren
With all the love,
(And half the discipline)
Thank you for always listening
Thank you for being my rock
And, maybe more fitting–
My building blocks
A combination of permanence but allowing me to keep
Building on a foundation you laid for me
Piece by piece
Thank you for all the parts of yourself
You have allowed me to borrow or forever own
To build myself into the man that I am
Feats, flaws and all
Love to the man who loved and loves me
Since I was small