Tell

I tell them it will be ok,
When they fall and hurt themselves,
I tell them to keep going and going,
When they just feel like giving up,
I tell them to rise above,
When words are used to play games,
I tell them to repair and re-start,
When they are rebuffed again and again,
I tell them it is never easy,
When they wonder why it is all going wrong,
I tell them goodbye is the hardest part,
When they say ‘dead people can’t hear goodbyes’,
I tell them to keep looking,
When they tempt love and feel rejection,
I tell them all these things,
Because they have no father to do so.

But I have yet to tell myself one of these things.