From Daddy’s Shoulders

 

Every breath I inspire has purpose; every single breath.

Every heart beat has a motive,

Keeps me from, yet takes me closer to death.

Needful of meaning in the interim,

‘tween my conception and my demise

I have procreated quite successfully;

to four offspring I’ve given life.

–

My sons, all three, will be my sons

Till their wives steal them away.

And I’ll become the withering Oak,

The doddery, dribbling duffer of a bloke

They may call on occasionally.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

–

But my daughter will always be my daughter.

A young woman now

With charm in every fingertip

Elegance and grace in her essence.

Sun-shiny optimism bursts from her smiles,

all the more glorious for her innocence.

Handing her over to her date for the evening,

No matter if he’s a bore or a thriller,

feels like giving a million pound Stradivarius

to some gibbering and graceless gorilla!

–

She may well have outgrown my shoulders

Where she travelled – no lived – as a girl.

She may have outgrown my lap,

But she’ll never outgrow my soul

She’s my store of the fondest of memories

The joy of each moment I’m living.

The hope and promise of tomorrow

My reason for heartfelt thanksgiving.

–

I’m sure many dads liken their girls

to one of many beautiful blooms;

A regal rose, a languid lily

with their heady, fragrant perfumes.

Yes, my daughter helps fill the world with beauty

like a landscape heaven blessed

and just like a bountiful garden,

she’s attracted her fair share of pests!

–

I can turn a stony face to Saul, Jon and Lee.

Shake my antlers, paw at the ground,

snort and run them off into the undergrowth.

But when I’m enfolded by Maddie,

And she whispers, “Daddy,” I break like a crumbly loaf.

–

So now there’s an emptiness on my shoulders

Where her lightness used to reign…

and there are pictures in my wallet

where my money used to remain.

I need lots of  patience and forgiveness

which she has taught me well.

Through all her sulks and petulance

She’s still my little girl!

–

A happy cluster of firsts that thrilled and dazzled

A wondrous bundle of giggles that bubbled and razzled

inside, as she made dark days bright and warm

An unceasingly miraculous miracle

the calm that stayed, under the storm.

A truly amazing treasure

To love admire and revere.

A beautiful gift, a responsibility

and a cause of my insomnia.

–

A young woman now and I want to see her fly…

but into her own piece of sky.

And maybe one day, when my life is over

She’ll remember her flight began

From her daddy’s shoulders.

Pete Ak…