As They Grow Poem by Jessica Fellows

Do you hear the laughter?
Or feel the happiness?
See how many smiles there are to gather?
What has become the joy of craziness…?
Watch them run
In their tiny shorts and shirts
In the shine of the sun
In a hurry to fall in dirt
They know nothing better
Than how to be
Whether they laugh or argue together
Life is all they see
They show love
And feel it too
What else to think of
But learning to tie their shoe
They run into your arms
And seconds later, their bigger than you
Not a moment too soon and no alarm
Without them, what are you going to do?
They say, “Not a thing.”
You say, “But I must.”
How can you come so far and do nothing?
They say you’ve taught me trust
And to do right
To follow the lighted path
And keep going into the night
Continue into the day’s wrath
Where the sun keeps shining
On their future
It’ll come in some timing
Like recovery from suture
One day they’ll be where you are
You’ll still smile
As they reach for their star
They travel for miles
With you still at their side
And no one else can replace
The lessons in their life
From now till the end of their days.