if you were my daughter
Oh how we would have held hands
and taken long walks
on trails we didn’t know
and some we did
and I would have carried you
when your legs got tired
and even when they didn’t

if you were my daughter
I would leap to lift you
as you had leapt into me
and I would raise you
higher than I dreamed I could
inspired by your totality
eager to watch you realize what I had known
months before you knew knowing

if you were my daughter
I would listen for your soul’s cries
and how they echoed in me
and I would tune my body
to ensure that when you felt the resonance of your existence
you would hear

love

if you were my daughter
I would raise the earth on which you stood
for you to see beyond my mountains

if you were my daughter
I would sing of your virtue til heaven wept with pride
if only to water the seeds of your compassion
for the world to feast from your life

if you were my daughter
I would hold the planet at bay
In time, let you sample all of her parts
tasting some
devouring others
So that you could feel resolute in
that Socratic ignorance
and maybe even think to yourself
even with all our problems
what a glorious time to be alive