New Poem

So, I just finished writing this poem for my English class. This is the version I've submitted.

A Father's Gift
Written October 14-15. 2008

I bring to you my past
A time that often repeats
It plays in my head all over again
Come now, you'll meet the beast

Father, I return home to you
In hopes of praise before you sleep
Instead I see my childhood
Pouring from the emotional leak

It seems you've made your choice
Premeditated, but a fair trade
Your absence brings me knowledge
And I know you've dearly paid

I'm renewed, but kept inside
This gesture not gone from my memory
My fake smile mirrors yours
And the stoic face you wear just like me

So here's to you, Father
For this stunted relationship of ours
I'm smarter now, I know not to trust
My thanks are as silent as yours

~//~

Tell me what you think!