He saw his daughter on the bus today

He saw his daughter on the bus today,

She didn’t see him as she passed.

It seems she has her life to lead;

It seems there’s nothing much to say.

He saw his daughter on the bus today,

How can she be alone on there?

Surely she is just a child.

When did she stop needing him?

He saw his daughter on the bus today,

She must be on her way to school.

She must have friends and interests – 

To her, he must seem like a fool.

But it’s great she doesn’t need him now,

to tell her when to go to bed

or do her homework or get up –

She tells him where to go instead.

She’s learned to cook a pasta sauce.

She’ll try her hand at making bread

She studies hard, she reads a lot

Will she remember him when he’s dead?

His father’s gone, his mother too.

They still hang on inside him though

So maybe there’s some small part of her

that will recall the father who

Saw his daughter on the bus today,

just going out as he came back.

She’s stepping out to save the world,

He’s listening to a ticking clock.