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Head thrown back,
Arms extended,
She spun around,
Faster and faster
Until she fell down
In a fit of giggles.

In the past,
I would have rushed
To get her, to dust
The dirt off of
Bruised knees,
Hips, whatever.

I didn't,
In fact,
I sat back
And chuckled
Before taking a sip
Of lemonade,
The ice shifting
In the sunlight.

With the ticking
Of time, seconds,
Minutes, hours,
I grew to understand
That this was her
Adventure. In
The days, weeks,
Years, I accepted
That it was not
In my place to
Interpret the world
For her, but to
Allow her to discover
It and all its
Glory and madness.

With cupped hands,
She rushed towards me,
Soon to reveal
A creature yet to
Be identified, its
Diminutive body squirming
In her soft hands.

She would ask me
What it was and
I would answer, truthfully,
Knowing there will be a time
When she will be asking
Not about a thing that
Could fit in her hand,
But things that unfurled
In her mind, body and
Soul and once more
I would answer truthfully.

After the creature
Had been returned
To its life,
After the lemonade
Had been consumed.
After the sun
Had set,
This little girl with
My nose and his eyes
Would tuck herself
Into my arms and
I would savour
The moment because
It, they never last.