A Daughter's Bedroom, Later

American Girls blankly stare Where shadows lend the mood of dusk And Harry Potter shares a shelf With Curious George Nearby the bed On which I read To my young girl … Dream, sweet baby, sleep— Now Hokies posters fill the wall And school yearbooks mind the desk: Distant, she is, across the state, Having grown up, having grown up And driven away To live in a dorm: Bound to happen, Still, I wonder … why? Here, in this bowl, a necklace she’s left With faulty watch and various rings— Oh! a ring, some day, diamond aglitter, How will I cope? How will I cope? Will my tears refrain When the aisle I march, Her hand on my arm A glow on her face … Will my tears refrain When I give her away, Give her away … November 21, 2016 Past, Present, Future Poetry Contest Nayda Ivette Negron, Sponsor