Baby Girl

Your smile is my ray of hope The light at the end of my tunnel The rainbow on my cloudy day Your smile my daughter It’s the overwhelming tightness of joy in my chest You fill my thought now It is your future I dream about All the great things you are yet to achieve Put unwavering smiles on my face Yours star is my only guiding light to the future I wrote you a song not long after you were born in my mother tongue E bami ki Wuraola omo ola E bami ki Wuraola omo la E bami ki Wuraola omo mi Omo to ni iwa to rewa E bami ki O My sisters laughed and said it has no rhythm But yet you dance when I sing it to you Smile on your lips, sparkle in your eyes And I fall for you all over again Bend easily to your will Baby girl You are fast growing And that weigh heavily on chest The world I know now is different from the one I knew as a child For you my daughter I will hold the world at bay Fill your childhood with memories of comfort and love So you will always have a safe haven to go too I will sing to you in all sort of manner Run wild, bare footed, arm stretch in open field with you With you I will be young again, be silly again, I be a vibrant memory you can't shake loose, won't want to shake loose Baby girl I fear for you But for now I keep my fear at bay Carrier you in my arms And sing to you songs my grandmother, my mother, aunts, sisters sang to me Songs filled with loved and promises of a bright future ahead