A man who loves his father cannot help but disappoint.
It’s something he can’t do alone; the effort must be joint.
For when your father sees you first his mind begins to race.
Your life unfolds before his eyes at an intemperate pace.
He then starts to imagine you before he knows you well.
The man you’ll be, he’ll come to see, within your youthful shell.
It’s nothing but the best for you; success is on his mind.
But soon a dark enlightenment will dawn on him in kind.
That man he dreamed you would become will never quite exist.
He never fails to get it wrong, though hard he might persist.
A man can only be himself, no matter how he tries.
He loves his dad, and father too can’t help but idolize.
At first he cries ingratitude, what he did for your sake.
Nobody ever thanked someone for forcing them awake.
All men must shrug off fatherhood, he too must abdicate.
But if he steals a second look, a blessing lies in wait.
A new man stands in front of him, an unfamiliar friend.
In turn you see a simple man you now can comprehend.
For once a hero was this man you see before your eyes.
He’s not as strong as you once thought and clearly not as wise.
There’s something charming in this man you didn't see back then.
You’ll find in you the will to introduce yourself again.
It’s time to close that chapter once so long ago began.
So stand on equal footing now and speak as man to man.