To My Daughter on the Eve of Her Graduation

It is I who has had the privilege
to see you born, unformed and perfect,
to see you dance like a fairy,
to learn early on that my job was not to make you,

but not to ruin you,
to let your kindness and soft spirit shine,
to let you gather strength at your own pace
and along your own path.

It has been my pride, not merely for the panoply
of awards and accomplishments that hang on the walls,
but in your quieter graces,
the things of your heart and soul.

I have seen that soul, broken beyond recognition,
left zombie-like to live without life,
and have traveled with you on your resurrection journey
as you reclaimed yourself  with a strength

neither of us could have guessed at.

And here you are, with your quilt work wings,
standing at the precipice,
ready to claim the sky.
A woman who has never forsaken her childhood heart,

strong, tender,
and unabashedly, completely, beautifully,
herself.

And so this day, I do not sing a song of congratulations,
but of gratitude, and joy
that despite myself, flaw, scars and all,
I did not ruin you.

About this poem

My daughter graduates from college tomorrow. Her journey has been an amazing one. I am more than proud. I am grateful.

The picture above was taken when she was about 11 or 12.  My how they grow up.

Tom