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On Having a Little Girl

She looks at me with hazel eyes
And freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks.
These moments, gentle, still, and blest
Are ever-anchored in my chest.

I tell fair tales to her in bed—
Of knights and dames and fire and flight.
I fight the night to guard this girl
Who lights the dark within my world.

Our story ends always the same—
A stolen pause that won’t return.
In melancholy’s grasp, I pray:
Please keep us here, just one more day.

How cruel a world where this will end.
Can we stop time with one held breath?
“I’m growing up, Daddy, alright?”
“Alright,” I say. “Just not tonight.”

.

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Jacob Schultz is a physician who lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

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19 Responses

  1. Paul Freeman

    ‘A stolen pause thT won’t return.’ Says it all, Jacob.

    Thanks for the nostalgia.

    Reply
    • Roy Eugene Peterson

      In line 1/Verse 2 should it be “fairy” and not “fair?”

      Reply
    • Jacob Schultz

      Thank you very much, Roy. I used “fair” to keep the meter and take advantage of its archaic meaning of gentle or beautiful. It may have thrown off the reader a bit in the process – my apologies!

      Reply
  3. Theresa Werba

    As the mother of five daughters (and one son) I can very much relate to the sentiments and tone of your poignant poem, Jacob. I used to hold them when they were young, and say “Don’t get bigger! Don’t get bigger!” So I totally understand what you are saying here. Well done!

    Reply
    • Jacob Schultz

      Thank you and God bless your family, Theresa. My children are growing up too quickly too and I don’t know how to stop it!

      Reply
  4. Shamik Banerjee

    This is a heart-touching poem, Jacob. Just as much as a father wants his child to grow up and shape her own world, deep down he wants her to be that little girl falling asleep to fairy tales. A precious poem. Thanks for sharing it.

    Reply
  5. Jim Hurford

    The sentiment is the same as in this classic, exquisite, poem by Heinrich Heine:

    Du bist wie eine Blume,
    So hold und schön und rein;
    Ich schau’ dich an, und Wehmuth
    Schleicht mir in’s Herz hinein.

    Mir ist, als ob ich die Hände
    Auf’s Haupt dir legen sollt’,
    Betend, daß Gott dich erhalte
    So rein und schön und hold.

    (No translation would do it justice.)

    Reply
    • Jacob Schultz

      Sounds like I need to learn some German. Thanks for your comparison, Jim!

      Reply
      • Jim Hurford

        Here’s a literal prose translation:
        You (familiar form) are like a flower, so lovely, beautiful and clean. I look at you and melancholy creeps into my heart. To me, it’s as if I should lay my hands on your head, praying that God keep you so clean, beautiful and lovely.

  6. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Jacob,

    This liturgy you are cultivating with her now will circle round for all your days, even when she’s grown.
    When home, it’s not uncommon for my children to quote a book they heard often as a child. We had many favorites. And then we all laugh.
    Woe to the many children raised on screens who are growing up without the investments of story and lovely experiences and memories as you describe.
    Gigi

    Reply
    • Jacob Schultz

      Thank you so much, Gigi. Bless you and your children. I hope mine and I will share similar laughs and stories in the future (but the future can wait a bit longer).

      Reply
  7. Paulette Calasibetta

    As a mother of three, your beautiful sentiment resonates deeply. Your poem is a litany, a silent prayer,
    a mantra for parents.

    Reply
  8. Marguerite

    Thank you for this poem, Jacob. How strange it is that so many of us, through all the millennia of parenting, can share the same feelings of parenthood and yet each of us have a unique relationship with each of our children. Truly a gift from God.

    I loved the use of “fair tales,” and the statement, “Just not tonight.” Beautiful and meaningful.

    Reply
    • Jacob Schultz

      Thank you, Marguerite! “Just not tonight.” is my heartfelt attempt at a bargain, a desperate plea, or maybe just selfish obstinance, but it always goes ungranted. Still, what a gift.

      Reply
  9. Samantha Strasser

    Beautiful! I love how it begins with a light-hearted and whimsical tone (“freckles on her sun-kissed cheeks”), and then how quickly it moves into a more poignant/heavy tone even towards the end of the very first stanza. That is truly the reality of parenthood – fun and imaginative play but all for the greater good of their souls and yours.

    Reply

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