Thursday, March 22, 2012

Being 'daddy'

If I would have had a daughter
could have learned to tie pigtails
wash her tiny feet, tuck her under
the warmth of her own bed blanket
given her that soft and gentle
daddy's kiss, ‘everything is going to be ok’

we might have found her some cockle shells
on the white sands of the beach
listened to the music that resides
inside the large snail shell
where angels store their songs

walk home her holding my finger, tiny hand
after a long arduous playful day
she waits for me on the porch swing
as I warm her milk and two cookies
we sit admiring the petrified stick she found
looks like a serpent from underneath the sea
and 'ooh, look at this sparkly stone, daddy'

I might have been a good daddy
to a daughter or son, sharing
the value of selflessness
Mother’s inspiration of love
who filled a void of an unknown father
showing me that their's great strength
in gentle smiles, in caring and giving,
in lieu of the male paradigm,
that gives credence to selfishness,
physical aggression, loud and domineering

thanks to maternal love
the influence of 'the gentle touch'
when a voice is spoken softly
and the soul is calm
the mind makes better choices
I think I could have been
a good 'daddy'

2 comments:

  1. As a mother of two and now they are both adults, I remember taking them to the beach and collecting rocks. It's so hard to imagine what my life would have been like if I didn't have any kids like my sister did. I'm not saying it's been a bed of roses all the time but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you would've been a great daddy. You don't have to be a parent to be a caretaker to the world, though, and it sounds like you certainly are a caretaker.

    ReplyDelete