Predicament
you said it at supper
over macaroni and cheese
“We have a predicament, Dad.”
“That means problem,”
your sister chimed in
(always my teachers as much as my students)
“We love staying and playing with Mom,
and Kindergarten rocks,
but we can’t do both.”
“Yeah, that’s a predicament, Dad.”
“Cute,” I thought. “That’s sweet.”
and the moment slipped away
until now--
It’s your birthday
--can you be five already!--
and I watch you
blow out candles and
the past five years.
You open gifts and
your eyes twinkle
with a future full of reading,
swimming, and two-wheelers.
I see little big girls, and it’s
a predicament
a problem
I treasure our past.
I see a brimming future.
Can’t I have both?
Yes!
In the moment, yes.
Together, on your birthday
we embrace today.
What a present!
