The Hug

There is nothing to introduce here. The entire story is contained within ....

I know a little girl who has sneaked up on my heart
We’ve known each other for many years, less two since we’ve been part
Of common lives of families who combined I do derive
Great joy to be a part of – and now she’s almost five.

At any rate, the story here is not about the years
But, truth be told, it is about a grown man and his tears

Of circumstance, shall go unsaid, we didn’t get to see
Each other for a couple weeks and I was sad to be
Apart from her, her childish laugh, her sticking out her tongue
The way she called me, “B come here”, the way her brown hair hung

She’s always been a bit reserved, rebelling at my tries
To tousle hair, to pat her back, to look into her eyes
I wasn’t Grandpa, just a man who loved her Grandma yet
She knew I loved her just the same, kids do know that, you can bet

Then yesterday, my luck, it changed. The stars aligned for me
And I was going to see the lass I longed so much to see
I wondered, “How to let her know I’d missed her, oh, so much.”
And had a thought, a bright idea, a way to bring a touch

She’s into bears, all brown and soft, the teddy kind’s the best
She has her two most favorite ones with her when she’s at rest
A poem I wrote to let her know just how much she was missed
And stuck two snaps of teddy bears at corners as they kissed

As I went to meet with them, with Grandma at her side
My heart was full of worry and woe, concerned I might miss wide
And have my heart rejected, my love she may forsake
But as I read her the short poem, I knew that she would wake

I asked her for a hug you see, a simple, human deed
Expressive of our caring sides, expressive of our need
To feel connected to those whom we’ve come to care about
And feel the closeness of two hearts without a simple doubt

She hugged me hard and held me tight, my heart it soared aloft
She let me know she’d missed me too. How wonderful, how soft.
©
12-Sep-09