The little girl grins with glee
As she runs outside squealing
"Daddy come on! I bet you can't catch me!"

The dad chuckling as he walked out the door
As the little girl yells
"Come on! Once more!"

Looking back at her dad
Not noticing the street
All the neighbors now heard
The pidder-patter of her little feet

Then suddenly that familiar sound
Filled the father's ears
As he yelled out in warning
His eyes filled with tears

The father now sprinting
Despite his bad knee
Saw the car had just missed her
By only a few feet

He kept running to the girl
Hands soon cradling her face
She smiled once more saying
"Daddy let's race!"

He simply shook his head
Holding his little girl
Like a clam in the ocean
Never releasing its pearl