he never scolds us,

oh, he never shouts.

whenever i talk,

from him, you'll never hear a sound.

i wail and i kick,

but you'll never see him frown.

no, and you'll never see him around.

i shout at him,

he never shouts back.

no matter how bad i become,

i was never slapped.

that is my father,

a father i never had.

a man so good to me,

he never bothered to show up.

 

Maria is a Filipino in Singapore, and a neophyte paddler of the Kallang River.

 

Image from www.redbubble.com