Daughters

A father raises a daughter
or does she raise him?
When does the child become the parent?
The parent the child?
Where and when does that bond grow?

Mothers and daughters
that relationship exists in a dance
A constant dizzying dance
of hormones and oxytocin
that goes on throughout their lives
A constant gravitational push and pull
that forces orbiting bodies
to weep and cry
giggle and laugh
A relationship that does not even end,
in death.

The relationship
between
a father and daughter
maybe distant or close
tight or lose.
Yet
they each leave an imprint
like a fingerprint
on each others souls

In the picture
my grandfather sits at his daughter’s wedding
His wife by his side
talking to another.
My grandfather’s eyes
however
are not on his wife
instead
he looks across the room
at his daughter
Her future is before her
Her future is with this other man
He has given her away.
His chest bleeds just a little
from where
he tore out that piece of his heart
to set her free.