Recital day
Let's say you have a daughter
who makes things look easy
and has a cheery outlook
and a willing heart
so that
from the outside
others think everything
comes easily,
effortlessly.
From your motherly vantage point
you know
that the placid facade sometimes
belies
an anxious, worried interior
that invades her night-time dreams
and terrorizes quiet awake moments.
She still chooses difficult things.
She still chooses sunshine
and defies the pointy, dark worries.
Feeling proud of Miss Maddy today
who rocked
her Seitz concerto
in spite of some rocky, worried weeks.
Is there a more heart-filling feeling
than seeing someone you love do difficult things
with courage and grace?
