Dad's and Daughters

Dad’s and daughters
Love at first sight
Oh infant bright
What dangerous waters
Will you navigate
On your stream of life
And grow mayhap
To be a mother, a wife?

Your purity lack of maturity
So engaging watching you grow
The father’s dread fears
You’ll never know
Trembling heart watching you start
First day at school and he’s a fool
For fearing for you
All will be well you’ll play your part

The birthday parties
Running yon and hither
Too and froe
Giddy as a whirligig
Energetic frenetic
As he counts the years
Come and go

Childhood illness's spotty skin
And of course
You fell off your horse
Broken arm caused alarm
You healed all right
Dad was the one
Who most took fright

Confidence of youth
Showing your truth
Teeth set in braces
His finger traces
The shape of your face
On school photograph
Hearing you laugh
Sharing your joy
First date with a boy

And now you’re gone a child of your own
My god how time has flown
The father daughter bond never broken
Of love so often spoken
Obvious for all to see
The truth trust and loyalty
And how you  both have grown

And Gramps now has another girl
To sit on his knee to hear her plea
Read me a story Gramps
Of Castles and kingdoms
Of princes and tramps
Like mummy says you used to do
She’ll be asleep before he’s through
Contentedly sighing reads another page
Another child another age