Eleven

Eleven  (For Tess)
by Kevin Cahill

Listen, I have a confession,
I'm a little sad you're turning eleven.
Ten was like a taste of heaven,
you tinkered artfully in self expression,
you cut your hair, your brave progression
into algebra, and of a horse taking possession,
all this you did before eleven.

Eleven promises even more,
your voice is louder, more secure,
your drawings bolder, the lines more sure,
my ears await the songs you'll sing,
the melodies you'll tease from fiddle strings,
your forehead pounding on my chest,
your love of silly jokes and jests.

Eleven means you'll turn the page
and learn to act a brand new age,
still wanting whatever is the latest rage.
Ten, eleven, twelve in waiting in the wings,
like you I wonder what the future brings.
Look ahead and bravely see what you can see,
behind you stands your faithful family.

May 3, 2012