If I could forgive me

The waves were rolling on to the shore, queuing people wanting more,

You stood on the beach, the King of all you surveyed, around you children played,

Two massive six wheeled boats, hangovers from the second world war,

That rolled up from the sea to pick up there next groups, almost like they had done before,
 

But now they were pleasure craft, carrying children full of glee,

Where once anguished faces had waited for a nightmare to end,

They carried the men from off the beaches, to hope afloat at sea,

There scars removed, after waiting forty years to mend,

It took some mind to see them in their new role, and yes, you did that,

You had a different view on things, a view few could imagine or see,

A light bulb moment changed their roles and brought them back,

You did that , and in that moment you changed right in front of me,

I couldn't show you at the time, I didn't know how, where to start,

But it was then that I knew how special you were, what you meant to me,

For years I floundered, in and out of you life, we began to grow further apart,

I even thought, at one time, things would never be like they used to be,

Things are different now, but we never really connected properly again,

You tried I tried, but both half heartedly, and then it was too late,

Our lives were too far apart, and then your mind just seemed to drain

Away from you, and I had missed my chances, I couldn't clean the slate.

In hindsight, we all make mistakes, but it never makes it right,

Those big boats on the beach provided a chance that I couldn't see,

I turned my back on you, and we could have had so much more, my mistake,

I am so sorry Dad, I will live with the regrets, if only I could forgive me.