I Love You and I Like You

Your girl hears the car door close
And she flies out to meet you,
Like she does every night at 5:08.
She coils her arms around your legs
And gives you the “boa constrictor hug”
That you both love and cherish.
You, in turn, peck her rosy cheek
Like a lucky woodpecker.

Those were the days when she knew no better,
When she loved you
And liked you.
Back when she saw the world
Through Scout-like eyes
And it seemed all good.
All she knew was this:
The sun shone bright just to make us happy
And the moon came out so the stars weren’t lonely.

No one had wronged her,
So she trusted all;
That was her first mistake.

Once innocence is taken
And trust is gone,
Childhood is sucked into a black hole.

The first time her face began to swell
And all you could see was purple.
That was the last time
She said, I love you and I like you, too.

That day she discovered the monsters
Under the bed
And realized that the sun can’t shine all day.
She should have been tucked safely into bed,
Under the fluffy, pink covers,
But you forced her out
And awoke the monsters.

Now your girl has grown up tall,
Or so it looks in pictures.
Attached to a photo is a note that says,
Forever I will love you,
Since you’re my father
And I kind of have to,
But I cannot like you,
Anymore.