the in-between times
"my childhood is nearly over", she said to me the other day,
sensing the shifting sands.
Caught in these in-between times
she dips a toe in two lands,
testing the waters of the fresh foreign future,
paddling in the pool of the playful past.
Soon, my daughter hits double digits.
this turning towards herself...
with a start, and a lurch of the heart,
I realise that she is ours for less time than has already passed.
And
I wonder whether I ought not to be a bit better at this all by now;
I wonder whether I've taught her the art of being a woman (as if I'd know how).
She breathed life into me -
this woman of no substance,
this woman of no focus
this woman who watched (rather than lived) life.
She took me to unimaginable places.
She shaped me...
Now, she is all limbs and no cares.
But I know there will be stares and despairs
(and disasters with hair) heading her way.
I long for her assuredness to stay.
So as your tenth birthday looms near, my daughter dear,
I wish for you to:
Remember that beauty and power reside inside
(never to leave, though sometimes to hide).
Know that you are brilliant and resilient.
Understand that you can never be broken, through unkindness spoken.
Realise that you already have everything you need;
you are complete.
Labels: children, natural born wisdom, thinking
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