From the Perspective of the Father of the Bride

From the Perspective of the Father of the Bride
By Scott L Vannatter
November 5, 2012

9-11 now 11-9
The first an epic emergency
This an epic event
My mind and heart are at odds

It’s been well over a decade
The time passed so quickly yet so slow
You went from being that little longhaired beauty
To the wonderful woman you are now

Seems like yesterday, I was explaining all
Questions about boys had not yet begun
Little did I know then
I wouldn’t be around for those puzzlers

Things have changed; they always do
You have grown tall and brilliant
A doctor, the first?, with my name
Though that will change in a few days

I have changed too
Now, I have a companion
Made of wood and it stays with me
Not a marriage, but a union nonetheless

I struggle now; we both do
I with my memory fractured and
You with the struggles of a home
Something you take on happily

He’s a good one, this Josh
There for you through thick and thin
Yet, has time for this old one
When I have problems in his arena

You focus as two but will be fastened
Not a knot but a bow
Something on a gift not a noose
One I hope is yours forever

My part is small; it was larger before
You two met
Now, as one you face the future
And, for once, I see brightness

I find myself in a quandary
Caught between two tastes
The bitterness of separation
And the joy and sweetness of love

Yours is a vow, a promise, a hope
Filled with joy, though sorrows will
Poke their heads in from time to time
See them as reminders not permanent tenants

Bring forth your lives
Started as two, now joined as one
Know that the father believes
The love to be true

Love you, Daughter