little wildflower

Twelve years ago today, she came into my life,
Gave me a shock, a start, didn’t know what to expect,
We thought she might be a girl, but at the moment of birth,
I forgot to breathe, scared and shocked, surprised,
Knew for sure, and everything suddenly changed.
Up until that moment, it was a man’s world,
Only thought of me and Z, my oldest boy,
Scorched earth policy, search and destroy,
Breaking hearts and taking names, nothing else,
But then Nan showed up and changed it all.
She broke my heart, from the very start,
Payback for all the wrongs committed,
Vindication for womankind at my expense,
All the hearts broken along the way,
Paid back to me on that very day.
So many memories, so many stories,
She quickly became daddy’s little girl,
Which she will remain forever more,
Taught me to see life through different eyes,
She was so little, but yet so loving and so wise.
She saved my life in more ways than one,
I remember once when a car hit our house,
I should have been standing right there,
But she insisted that I read her another book,
So I stayed and read, instead of eating wood.
The car blew out the whole side of the house,
A big hole where the wall once stood,
Window gone, cabinets flung, dishes smashed,
The corner barely there, barely holding on,
In our red house, on the busy street by the university.
Feisty little girl gave herself a nickname,
At the age of two-and-a-half, stomping her foot,
Sick of being called “baby,” or beebz,
Headstrong just like her momma,
Calling the shots from the very start.
Then at four, she decided she wanted to run,
Didn’t want to run the kid’s race,
Wanted to run the 5-k, so she did,
And kept running them, for years after,
Until she decided to do something else.
Everything seems to come so easy,
Playing soccer, skateboarding, whatever,
Even school, flew right through elementary,
Getting nothing but A’s, just cruising through,
I’ve told her more than once, I wish I could be like you.
So compassionate and sweet, such a gift,
Always doting on her brother when he was sick,
Spending time with him at the hospital,
Empathetic and caring, didn’t get that from me,
Leading by example, showing us how to be.
She fasted for her jingle dress, at a young age,
Didn’t shirk the responsibility, did it with grace,
And when she dances, does it old school,
Just like the ladies from Whitefish Bay,
Not too flashy, dances the old-fashioned way.
My Nan isn’t perfect, but none of us are,
But for us, as a family, she raises the bar,
Much loved, much treasured, she is the best,
She’s my little baby girl, twelve years of age,
Our little wildflower, my little babe.
This is just a silly little poem,
Just a little something for my Nan,
To show her what she means to me,
Just some ramblings, chock full of typos,
For my most favorite person, but she already knows.