Babygirl
A Father's Day Poem
Dani Fielder
6/23/20262 min read
When I was a little girl,
my dad would grab my hands,
lift me up,
and I'd use my legs to climb my way up
his body until I was able to flip around.
In hindsight, this seems almost dangerous,
and that's what my mom thought as well.
So she would scan over
with her eyes like golf balls
and remind my father to "be careful!"
But I was never afraid
because I knew my dad had me.
On the last journey I took
hiking up my father and flipping to my feet,
he grunted and said something like,
"Babygirl, you may be getting too big for this."
These words rung in my ears,
piercing the way I viewed myself
because I never imagined
being too big or too anything
to stop my dad from picking me up.
As time continued to creep by,
stealing moments we'd thought
would last forever,
I kept finding new ways I was too big
and my life seemed to continue
to rearrange itself into something new.
Often times, I'd find my trust and respect
for my father turning into frustration
because "Why
does my dad think he knows everything?"
"Why
can't I just do what I want to do?"
"Why
do I feel
like a caged bird longing to fly?"
But Dad,
I understand now all the moments
you said "no"
that led to me stampeding
up the stairs and hiding away
in my room.
I understand that the cage,
wasn't a trap but a barricade
from the pains of this world.
I imagine the first time I scraped my knee,
you probably picked me up,
and hoped you'd never
see me so hurt again.
And the first time, you
saw me cry over a boy, I imagine
you wishing you could just bandage
up the wound.
But even in those moments
where the world seems to collapse
onto my shoulders,
I remember my dad.
His love is sunshine
that bathes me in light, and
sometimes it may hurt but
it's always necessary.
Dad, you're the first man I loved,
and a model of the man
I hope to one day love.
I wonder how a man that
was not fathered could father me,
but your love reflects God's love
for us because it's ever present.
After the many mistakes I've made
and all the scraped knees,
I question myself but
you still pick me up and call me
your babygirl.