Heart of my Father

My head pressed against your chest
Listening to a beat I know
That same sound of selfless love
Beating strong and slow

The bass of your voice swallowing
The monsters in my head
Safe and sound my eyes gave weigh
You lifted me to bed

Soon my selfish pulse sped up
While yours stayed the same
You held me close to your steady heart
Hoping to calm my flame

But before long, that very beat
That I once listened for
Held me from my sprint of life
I thirsted for more

All too eager to throw away
The virtue of a child
I sought a new and thrilling path
My heart beat fast and wild

But even in my darkest days
If I chose to hear
There was a sound I could not forget
It pounded in my ears

I longed to lay there once again
Against your stable breast
To feel the rumble in your voice
To put my pulse at rest

I come home now and savor the sound
Of my father’s unchanging love
I listen and memorize the rhythm it makes
A sound I am unworthy of