What a Gift
May
June
July
and then
there she was
sailing through
the door
in my arms
once more
no longer little
she’d jest driven
11 hours
from Texas
Home
racing her Daddy
down the interstate
when jest yesterday
she was driving me
round and round
the parking lot
and up the wall
and through
the neighborhood
and down the street
taller than me now
she laughed
and asked
have you shrunk !
yes
that’s what happens
when ‘ya get old
‘ya shrink
we share a laugh
like we do
her smile’s the same
with that same twinkle in her eye
she shows me her claws
and i look at ‘em
and nod
thinking ‘bout
when she was small
and how i clipped ‘em close
and painted ‘em Barbie pink
but 20 likes ‘em long
like pointy polished heels
with no pastel
she looks around
and says it feels like
she never left
but her hard hat
and steel-toe boots
tell another story
she’s been climbing
towers
and drafting specialized
diagrams
and giving presentations
and sitting in meetings
and coming up with solutions
and leading programs
and turning heads
and impressing the not so easily impressed
with her brilliant mind
and attention to detail
brains and beauty
and loves to laugh
she can read the room
and make sense of massive amounts of material
and comprehend it like a lawyer
she applies her insight
clear and concise
in a technical and efficient manner
like her Daddy does
they want her to come back
and intern next summer
and build her career there …
her life
she could take so many varied
paths …
med school
law school
PhD
build a business
a brand
be a model
be an artist
be a writer
or go straight to work
and climb the ranks
whatever it is… whatever she does
her purpose will find her
and she’ll give it a GO
give it all she’s got
and then some
and i’ll be as i’ve always been
amazed
and grateful
so grateful
for the gift
the wonderful gift
that is her
TL