What Makes Me a Man, Dad?

What makes me a man, Dad?
Are you who I want to be?
As I turn and in the mirror look,
Is it you I want to see?
And if not, then, please tell me why
I don’t know where you end
As I leave to see the world and seek
To find where I begin.

You do begin where I leave off
I give you what I know
And that includes the faults I have
And where I will not grow
The gifts are yours to choose between
To fly takes joy and fear
Some day you’ll see between my faults
And blessings will appear.

Oh, what makes me a man, Dad?
Now I’ve got a wife and home
Did you feel the fears and hopes I have?
Did you always feel alone?
Did Mom touch your heart in the places dark?
Was she always by your side?
When you reached for each other and could not touch
Was it you or she that cried?

I cannot give you guidance, son;
My time for that is gone.
I fear you’ve touched an empty place
In my heart, I too stand alone.
No one told me I’d ache inside,
That dreams I dreamt would pale
That part of being a man would be
To act like I could not fail.

Oh, what makes me a man, Dad?
Is it the strength to say goodbye?
As you lie there, oh so gray and still,
Death’s whispering draws nigh.
My life seems so complete, and yet
A place echoes in my heart
That longed for your completing touch
And cried as we grew apart.

My son, your manhood’s always there
It’s not a place you’ll find
It grows within a giving heart
Yet most seek it in their minds.
Men lose their hearts and seek return
Men laugh, and yes, men cry
And now as Death embraces me
I see men say goodbye.