I wish I was

I wish I was your Princess

The girl you'd waited for

The one for whom you'd do anything

If she came knocking on your door

I wish nothing else mattered

When you looked in my eyes

And everything else came second

When you had me as the prize

I wish every time I cried

You'd swear to heal my pain

And as long as life was in you

Never let me cry again

But I am not your Princess

I'm not your perfect bride

Even if you swear otherwise

This truth I know, inside

Father

Big shoulders strong enough

To protect

From everything

Speeding car, leering men, broken heart

Eyes that twinkle more often

Than they cloud

With anger or fear

Light brown pools of hidden emotion

Never perfect, yet seeming just so

Efficient

Machine

Yet more than lazy enough to be human

Downs a pint of whiskey (only the best)

A gentleman

Controlled

Loose, but never a drunken swagger

The smoothest driver, shifting gears

With ease

Experience

That cannot be taught, only admired

The kite flyer, the ocean swimmer

Careful

And carefree

The one who taught me to ride a wave

Brimming with stories and terrible jokes

A father

A friend

Switching between roles seamlessly