Ineffable,I'm almost petrified
watching you blossom into a fetching young
maiden
Would it be so selfish of me to want to keep you
all to myself

And shield you from this sometimes painful
world?
woebegone yet at times a place of
kindness
though that be untoward

Truth be told
you are only mine erstwhile
a storm brews in thy heart
the same heart that feels summery to the
sound of your mellifluous giggles and laughter

Its almost terrifying how you take after me
the same dreamy eyes,mountainous ambition
and a passion inexorable
it wouldn't be so wrong to re - live my youth
through your eyes
as you brace yourself for your maiden voyage
into the untamed cosmos

For everything there's a season
dare throw caution to the wind and let you be
praying what little I have instilled in you will be
light in times of darkness
or else experience be the best tutor.

Catherine Magodo Mutukwa 2016