To My Children

Let me give you the fire of my heart
And part with my self for your wick;
Let these relieve your fearsome darkness
Lest you stumble into pits unseen.

Your courage is sustained by Daddy's hugs,
A pat on your arm or my smiling eye;
But your pain subsides when I kiss your scrape
By your own faith hushing your trembling lips.

You bring to me all your monsters,
Your fretful dreams, your tormentors,
Knowing with utmost conviction
That I will always rescue you.

So hard it is on me to know, that
You'll soon stop seeking my valor;
Though I'll be proud of your two-fisted stand,
I'll miss the child who needed my hand.

LMC 23 August 2000