desperate house life

secret lives creep
on tippy-toes in the streets
away from their households
as the family sleeps

shadows tend to gossip
as they slither throughout the night
sneaky whispers break the silence
“baby the time is right...”

she is to him
what others never were
she is the love he never had
he is security for her

mama bought into daddy's dream
but won’t invest in the man
being patient while he made it
wasn’t part of her plan

daddy works long hours
since the kids are gone away
inter-marital dysfunction
leads to extra-marital dates

daughter liked bad boys
with foul mouths and tattoos
she thought that daddy was a lame
because he preached and wore suits

now she's in love with a felon
her devotion to him hurts
daddy told her come back home
but pain won’t let her go to church

she knows the answer to her prayers
but it’s hard to keep from sin
so she puts her faith in yesterday
and sneaks to meet a friend

daughter waits at the waffle house
and out the corner of her eye
she catches mama kissing her felon
as daddy walks inside

daughter was trying to change
daddy secretly offered his support
mama stopped trying long ago
now they're filing for divorce

daughter was to daddy
what others never were
she’s the love he never had at home
and he’s her forgiving father