I Love My Daughter

I love  

My daughter  

In ways  

The world  

Doesn’t have  

Words for

I love her  

Like breath

Like heartbeat

Like something  

My soul  

Remembers  

Before I was born

I love her  

In the quiet  

The kind  

That settles  

On a man’s chest  

When he realizes  

His purpose  

Has a name

I love her  

In the loud  

The laughter 

The stubbornness 

The way she walks  

Like she owns  

Every room  

She steps into

I love her  

In the moments  

She’ll never see

The nights  

I stayed awake  

Just listening  

To her breathe

The mornings  

I whispered  

A thank you  

To whatever (God)  

Kept her safe

I love her  

In the ways  

She saved me  

Not with effort

But by existing

By being  

The one thing  

I couldn’t lose  

Without losing  

Myself

I love her  

In the future 

In the woman  

She’ll become  

In the strength  

She’ll carry  

In the storms  

She’ll outgrow

And if she  

Ever doubts herself

I hope she knows  

This truth

I loved her  

Before she spoke

Before she walked

Before she knew  

What love was

And I’ll love her  

Long after  

My voice  

Is only something  

She hears 

In her heart