I loved you, Alison, daughter I never had,
Little bird with timorous wings trying to soar
Above life’s clamor and din, mediocre and sad,
Like a lion at bay, as it whimpers a roar
Far too regal to run yet too timid to fight,
A babe thrust from her nest by adversity’s quirk,
Yet she stood like a queen never taking to flight.
How I envied her strength and the way her mind worked
And I loved her like a child I wished had been mine,
She stole my heart yet never understood the why,
But a wildflower to a cage one can’t confine,
Neither chain hearts or wings, hummingbird homeward fly.
See the pluck of that heart and the length of her limbs,
Flee now from the wind and consuming storm that stirs
To devour the sweet soul that breathed curious whims,
Shattered hopes, scattered dreams, the world could have been hers
And through her tender tears she wove her magic spell,
Her good-bye, whispered soft, bore majestic disdain,
Sweet child of my heart now gone I pray you fare well,
Lose not that bright spirit soon we’ll meet once again.
Claire V. Bogdanos 