For Daddies

You may not know it now
but this day
 
filled with all things
little girl
 
all things glitter and shine
ruffled socks and tap shoes
little girl squeaks and squeals
 
is shaping her
into the woman she
will ultimately be
 
when you are there
every time she reaches out for you
when your hand
touches hers
when you walk
through parks, skip across sidewalks
she is learning
what it means to be
valued
and loved
and honored
and safe
 
and when you touch her face with
your hands, she learns
what it means to be loved by a man
 
but if you are absent
 
if you are unreachable
 
if her walks through the parks are solo
with no one to hold her hand
she will reach out for anything
anyone who looks like they may care
 
when in reality
they'll only want her in pieces
she'll be broken apart into
selfies and computer screen shots
with the true essence of her being
erased with each flash of her camera phone
 
and the side she'll shows to the world
will be distorted, wild,
showy, bare
she will
speak like she was never schooled
as she looks for you
in every passing face
 
so this day
when you see her smiling face again
touch her
kiss her
read to her
love her
hold her close to you,
promise her
that you ain’t goin nowhere
 
and mean it.
 
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