Dear Daughters

by Barb Santucci


Once you curled next to me like kittens,
warm and drowsy.
I’d smooth your hair and murmur,
“sweet dreams forever.”
 
Now my kittens have grown into cats,
territorial and concerned with preening.
Once we held hands while walking
as we told our stories.
But today, with their sharp tongues
they draw lines for how close I can come.

Someday, you will be lionesses
sheltering your young.
They may pierce your heart,
then you will bleed tiny droplets
that will mingle with mine.
We will meet palm to palm, blood sisters.


* * * * *

Barbara Santucci has a Masters In Writing for Children from Vermont University and has published three picture books with the W. B. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers and several poems in Adult anthologies. Her work as a poet and freelance artist has allowed her to look closely at nature and all its beauty.