It’s you and I
Against the world, he says
Teasing me
With a teddy bear
And a bedtime story
I ask him, daddy
Will you ever leave me?
He shakes his head, firmly
Assuring me
He
Silently, envisioning, his baby girl
His daughter
All grown up, a gladiator
Winning every battle, gloriously
Or a mountaineer
Surmounting Mount Everest, adamantly
He won’t shed a tear
He swears
On the day he leaves
He thinks he’s not meant for here
And maybe it’s just destiny
There are things he should achieve
And his little gladiator, proud mountaineer
Will not dread his departure, he believes
So he swears to not shed a tear
On the day he leaves
his little gladiator will forgive
because she has a heart with heat
that can melt any glacier
he’s coming back today
I still remember
The day he left
How could I ever forget
he’s coming back today
I know, he and I
Are no longer
Against the world together
I am his daughter
His imaginary, little gladiator, proud mountaineer
Who he believes
Can battle dragon
Conquer mother nature
And has no fear
he’s coming back today
greeting the broken pieces on the doorway
I wish I could tell him that
I am neither, father
I am not your gladiator, your mountaineer
And I swear my tears won’t disobey
Inside of my body they shall stay
Until the last day of his departure, once again
I will be his gladiator, his warrior
his mountaineer, his defender
Until the last day of his departure, once again
I am sorry
that in reality
I cannot exceed his expectations of me
I wish I could tell him why
I have the wings but don’t dare to fly
I wish I could explain why
It is love that I choose to defy
he’s coming back today
picking up the broken pieces on the doorway
she wishes her wings to be strong enough
to fly far and high away
so she can look away
leaving all the tears to yesterday
Butterfly Poetry 