Before I Knew It Poem by Wilson Khor W.H.

I couldn't remember when I first had you.
A newborn; yet to conceive
her own thoughts.

But I remembered holding you
in my arms when I felt lonely.
You were just a toddler; barely able to walk
and say a few words.

Do you remember the times you woke me,
late in the night?
A young curious child; squealing over stories
of whispering trees
and leafy sea dragons.

Do you remember too, the times I stirred you up
on those nights I couldn't sleep
feeling unneeded and unloved?
You were still a teenager, with your angst and emotion -
who knew so much
and yet so little.

And still, over the years, we grew.
Through sunshine and rain,
Through happiness and bitterness,
Losing everything
and finding back ourselves
over and over
and over again...

And before I knew it,
that hand holding mine
had become a woman's,
gentle and strong.
Your eyes gleam
with tenderness that weaves moonlight;
flowers curtsy before your smile,
trees whisper as your steps walk by

And on that day when you plucked your courage
to embrace me with the day's first rays,
to whisper me those words
I had been aching for years to hear...
I finally understood
why poets before me
have professed their undying love
and are happily married
to their lives' worth of writing.