My Daughter at 14: Christmas Dance

A colleague from Tennessee shared this poem with me from the December 8, 2007 edition of The Writer's Almanac. It so beautifully expresses the fear and excitement involved in watching a daughter navigate early experiences with attraction, relationships, perhaps even love. It also reminded me why we have educational programs such as Straight Talk to facilitate open communication between parents and their kids about all aspects of sexuality. The narrator of the poem treats this situation honestly and with such respect for the daughter. The poem is by Maria Mazziotti Gillan, published in Winter Light, (c) Chantry Press, 1985. I'd love to hear your impressions.

My Daughter at 14: Christmas Dance

Panic in your face, you write questions

to ask him. When he arrives,

you are serene, your fear

unbetrayed. How unlike me you are.

After the dance,

I see your happiness; he holds

your hand. Though you barely speak,

your body pulses messages I can read

all too well. He kisses you goodnight,

his body moving toward yours, and yours

responding. I am frightened, guard my

tongue for fear my mother will pop out

of my mouth. "He is not shy." You giggle,

a little girl again, but you tell me he

kissed you on the dance floor. "Once?"

I ask. "No, a lot."

We ride through the rain-shining 1 A.M.

streets. I bite back words which long

to be said, knowing I must not shatter your

moment, fragile as a spun-glass bird,

you, the moment, poised on the edge of

flight, and I am, on the ground, afraid.