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My Real Dad
by Elizabeth Van Cleve (January 31, 1986) 

I remember the sunny day

Walkin', places I like to go

Showin' my Real dad

the riddle book in my hands

"What's big and red and eats rocks?"

My Real dad would try and guess

He'd guess wrong and I was glad

'cause I knew the answer

"A big red rock eater"

My Real dad would laugh

And he'd laugh loud

Really loud and I was proud

He'd laugh at all my riddles

Even the ones not very funny

I loved makin' my Real dad laugh

So, I could laugh then too

"What's black an' white an' red all over?"

I hoped he'd guess a newspaper like my mom

Then he almost gave up and didn't say it

"No Daddy," I said, "A Sunburned Zebra."

Sometimes he wouldn't guess at all

I guess he just got tired

So, I told him to say, 'I give up'

'cause he'd never get 'em right 

I wished I was big like my Real dad

He could reach the good plums up high

He'd hand me 'em and I'd eat 'em all up

Then he'd laugh, 'cause they're for the bucket

We ate a lot of plums

or sorta I did, he said

I found lots of blackberries

He wished he could reach the low ones

Then it was time, to go back

I wished I could see him all the time

That he could live in my house here

And the other dad would go away

He wanted to see me every weekend

And asked me if I'd like it

"Would we take walks all the time?"

"Of course," he said, "and go fruit pickin'"

So, he asked my mom and the other dad

They yelled at my Real dad

This made me cry

but I couldn't tell 'em to stop

They yelled at him, they'd yell at me

So, I didn't speak the words

of "Don't you hurt my Real dad;

He only wants to love me."