Published January 15th, 2025
by Thato Mokgofa
Dear Sir,
I really wish you were there
I wish we got to know each other,
and I knew you as my father
I wish you knew the real me
Not the academic me –
the athletic me
Not the obedient me –
the talented me
Not the quiet me
You weren't there to teach
but I learned
You weren't there to train
but wisdom, I earned
You weren't there to love
even though I yearned
You should've been
my first boyfriend
teaching me
true love, no pretend
You should've been a role model
not just an image to avoid
Your absence left a void,
left me broken and destroyed
While your absence truly pains me,
the lessons I learned shaped me
The self blame, the heavy weight
taught me strength, a powerful trait
And while I'm angered
by your absence
part of me
still begs for your presence
In the midst of all this emotion
forgiveness lurks, a new foundation
A chance to heal, to love again
and find peace, in life's gentle rain.
About the Poet
Thato Mokgofa resides in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa.
Read the poet's biography on Thato Mokgofa's Artist Page.
This poem is included in Comet #4,
published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Previously published in South Africa Poetry Magazine:
Beauty in Darkness
by Imorgan Oliphant
South Africa Poetry Magazine is part of the Wax Poetry and Art Network.
- Visit the main Wax Poetry and Art Submissions Page to see all opportunities.
- Visit the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
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