Father's Way

The man looks on

By her bedside, he stands

A million stories race through his mind

But she's asleep, hair pulled back by a band

Is she really mine? He wonders

Must be, must be he agrees

After all, there are daughters and fathers

Bound by invisible bonds of loyalty

Express yourself, he asks

And she awakens, looks at him

I don't have to compete, she says

It's just a game, though I may win

Not just a game

It's the game of life, he nearly admonishes

You give it your best shot

Then I will say she's played her chess

No, I don't want to do it, she says

What if I lost? I would be upset

If father you don't worry about it

I can win another prize instead

Not mine, not mine he thinks

Mine would immediately say yes

This one has a mind that's unrecognizable

And I wouldn't then enjoy my Sunday

The girl trying to read his thoughts said You know

I have another plan for a triumph

If you and I participate in something else

I can win the round by being smart, not dumb

Okay, he acknowledged

Then he stood while she went to sleep in her curls

He couldn't figure what she meant that moment

So he said to himself, after all, girls will be girls