Dancing With My Father

By Ellyana Gomez

Dance with me
Because a very long day has passed
And the only thing
Between your return here
And the last return
Was the hands of God

For many months
I smiled at the moon,
To the kind face that we share each night
And I sent you my kisses through her
I have prayed for you ceaselessly
Every free minute I had was dedicated to your safety

Dance with me
Because I missed you so much
And I have shared my hero
For too many months
With the other side of the world
Now I want to be selfish
I want more time with you
Because I almost lost it forever
But you're already mine, you're ours again

I missed you so much
With all my little heart
Everything you've seen doesn't matter to me
Everything he has done does not affect my idea of you
Your soul has guided me
For all of my life
Now you guide again with your steps and your wisdom

Dance with me please
Because I want to celebrate your return
And every one of your steps
With every beat of the drums

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Ellyana Gomez is currently a student at the University of Pittsburgh. She has developed her love of poetry since she was a child, exploring Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes poems with her father. She continues to write about her lived experiences and observations of current events and art. She has been published in several anthologies and was recently awarded the “Best in School” award at the Carnegie Mellon Martin Luther King Jr Day Writing Awards.