You never bring them to see me

 “You never bring them to see me.”

but you never come.
you never call.
you never check in.
you never ask how they are.

you wait to be included
without ever showing up.

and that’s not how this works.

a relationship with my child
isn’t something you’re owed
because of a title
or shared blood.

it’s built
in the everyday.

in the showing up.
in the effort.
in the consistency.

so don’t blame me for the distance.

some people watch my child grow
through pictures.

others are actually there.