For My Daddy on Father's Day

In ’81, the story goes, 

A little baby girl was born

Who lifted up her downy head

“I’ll be your little girl,” she said.

The decade flew, as decades will,

The little girl was babbling still

And asking why’s—of N-P-K,

Of FDR, and JFK.

The years stretched on. And still she grew

And her vocabulary too

Till she regaled his willing ears

With college notes and culture fears.

And then the girl, all grown, you see

Returned as two, and then as three,

And now the questions really came

From bright haired boys and girls the same

And with each question, we received 

An honest answer we believed

That you had learned from sweat drops spent,

And confident, away we went.

And so, whatever we become,

This girl remembers where it’s from:

My daddy’s loving, listening heart

Attentive from the very start.

I love you.