Brief Candle
BRIEF CANDLE
She was on the windowsill outside.
I lunged to grab little Stacey -
Got her arm in my tight fist.
She was safe, but hanging.
Eighteen floors up,
Her arm slipped from my grasp.
In slow motion she fell the first four feet
And I knew in an instant she was gone.
She did not cry out in panic,
Almost smiling serenely,
No doubt thinking daddy
Would grab her again in two seconds.
God caught her in three seconds.
Still feel the smooth little arm
As it decided to leave my grasp.
Still see her upturned face, unafraid,
Not even realizing she had departed.
………………………………………………………………………………
Note
My daughter is now twenty, but recently I had a horrifying nightmare
about her childhood, from which I awoke yelling at the top of my
voice, “No!! No!!” and scaring the life out of my wife.
Couldn’t get it out of my mind for days afterwards.
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