My mother and my father did not love each other

I was conceived in a foreign land

I was born out of wedlock

I don’t know who my father is

I don’t want to know 

He didn’t care to call 

To even ask what my name was

Whether I was a boy or a girl

My mother did the best she could

My mother never talked about him

I didn’t even care to know his name

There was never a need to 

We managed fine without his help

My mother never complained 

My mother said she preferred it that way

Just me and her   

She was a proud single mother

I never wished I had a father

I wasn’t missing out on anything 

There was no time to dwell 

I knew what a parent’s love felt like

My mother showed me unconditional love 

My mother showered me with hugs and kisses

I was her one and only

No other man mattered

I was her life

I never missed having a father 

I didn’t want for anything

My mother took care of everything

I was an A student

I showed respect to all

I demanded respect from all

I walk with my head held high

I wasn’t ashamed of my upbringing

The absence of my father does not 

Define who I was born to be

He chose to stay away

I can’t make him love me 

I can’t make him want me

My mother and I did fine without him

I have no father and that is okay

My mother raised me right

God didn’t make a mistake when

He created me

I’ve become who I am today 

Because of my mother

I’m not my father’s child 

By J. Robbins-Clacema