a poem for Victoria
on her birthday
here you are; a warm welcome,
renewed spirit, confident and
secure — a peace I didn’t know
I needed.
my heart wells up with joy
at the thought of your growth —
how amazing you are, and
the similarities sitting in
your heart — so much like your
mother but clearly your
own self.
I stand in awe of you.
I remember when you
were born, how happy
your parents were, and I
lived for the updated photos,
stories, and time spent with
my little cousin who had a
smile that could shame the sun.
so far away, always so far
away — yet near enough to
dwell in my mind — take up
space I had no problem lending.
you are a glorious, strong force
in a world of terror and pain.
you pick up everything
whenever you’re ready,
relocate to places with
half-hearted moons and
split-tongue warriors with
gray eyes.
we all live vicariously through
you — we may not say it but
we think it.
free spirit — unafraid to make
moves when moves need to
be made, and on this, your
day of birth, I want you to know
that I love you to
the full-bodied moon and
back again.
there will be pregnant pauses
for the rest of my day as I
share time with my thoughts
to appreciate your existence.
happy birthday, Victoria.
God gift you years upon
years upon years more.
©2023 Tremaine L. Loadholt
On Tuesday, February 07, 2023, my little cousin (Chrissy’s daughter) celebrated another year on this Earth, and I wrote this for her. Thank you for reading, and for listening, too.
