to say I have daddy issues
is to say it would take a long time for you to
empty the ocean with a teaspoon
it’s obvious
in the way I don’t talk about them
about the “father”
who dodged fatherhood like a bullet
gladly escaping responsibility
without ever looking back
or about the dad who couldn’t understand the swan
left behind by his ugly duckling
when she grew up
I was born an ocean
in a world full of teaspoon holders
immense and overwhelming
is it any wonder my tides scare away
even the strongest swimmers
from loving me?
daddy issues [poem]
Larissa Lee 