Daughter

A poem.

Photo by author

when she smiles
I breathe easy for a while
my imagination settles
twisted tales fade to background chatter.

when she smiles
I remember
her
the weaving of her
the weft and warp
of her —
her sharp wit
and crystal intellect.

when she smiles
I say to myself
ah, yes
I must not forget
that the storm of her
rumbles
in tandem with the light of her.

she is thunder and lighting
she is the force of gale
and the song of gentle rain
she is hurricane
and eye —

when she smiles
it lights up my day
I carry it then —
a flame in the lantern
to light our way.