Like a parent

I watch you bloom in the sober light of May.

Like a parent, I carry a pride in my stomach

as you stand in that royal blue.

I watch as you grow against all of your grief.

Like a parent, your victories become my own. 

I watch as you live despite all life has taken.

Like a parent, I, too, marvel at how time

 moves by so quickly.

How you were once just a child:

big, blue eyes and blonde hair.

But now, you have grown into a woman:

Hair with a green tint,

Tattoos that are love letters on skin,

An empathy that cannot be taught,

And a smile that has walked the edge of darkness 

yet still made it home.

Like a parent, I thank God

that you are here, 

that you are still growing,

that you are home. 

In hindsight

Why do I wait until after dark?