Dear Son

 Son,

They say love finds us when we least expect

But I waited, wandered, and wept.

Fifty years I’ve roamed this weary earth,

Seeking a face, a touch, a heart to call home,

Yet found none to match the storm within my chest.

I toiled the soil of cities and silence,

Fell for illusions dressed as warmth,

But every kiss turned cold, every promise hollow.

It was not that I was unloved,

But that I loved too deep in shallow waters.

Now, as I near the end of my weary tale,

Know this is no tale of triumph, nor a will for wealth.

It is a dirge, a warning carved in blood and ink.

I have lost my way, son, truly.

The sun no longer rises for me,

And the nights whisper secrets I can’t bear.

This world...

It turned me into something I swore I’d never be.

A man of shadows,

Chasing light only to extinguish it with my sins.

I thought I could outrun my past,

But the past is a loyal beast—it follows.

Now I stand before the gates of the Forbidden Kingdom,

Not as a noble soul,

But as a tired wanderer seeking peace or punishment.

Not out of bravery—but from exhaustion.

I write not to ask for forgiveness,

But to plead—do not walk where I have stepped.

My path is paved with broken vows,

With faces I betrayed,

With nights where silence screamed.

*Do not inherit my chains*

Choose love, yes, but do not chase it blind.

Let it find you while you are building,

While you are becoming.

And if it never comes,

Let your soul still sing.

And if you ever feel like falling

Fall into prayer, fall into purpose.

Not into the abyss I called home.

Farewell,

Your father, once full of dreams,

Now only full of echoes.