A poem for my daughter on her third birthday
This girl, who was so eager to be on land that she burst into the world before she could breathe,
so sensitive that her skin couldn’t be touched, encased like a museum curio,
who gave me a second belly button and a new name,
who says, “Oh, hi, Mr. Butterfly” when he returns from winter and loves puddles too deep
for her boots,
who hunts the forest for bones but comes home with bouquets of labrador tea,
who feeds cranberry leaves to new friends from her palm like they are baby birds,
who flits her fins in the bathtub and says “Mommy, I’m a mermaid!”
so that I whisper to my husband, “But how did she know?”
who stands on the shore and says, “Ocean. Mama. Home.” and I am not sure if she’s
talking to me, about me, or to the sea, but I feel more seen than I have ever felt.
This girl makes me feel like maybe I’m doing something right.
That was lovely. Just wow!
We had a baby who was so keen to get a look at the world that he burst into it far too early, too. He didn’t get a poem from me, but yours is simply beautiful.
Thank you so much! <3