My Granddaughter Piper Poem by Jimmy Scanlon

At the end of our table on the wall,
Is a photo of you
And when I eat dinner, you watch
Perched on the nook of a railing
at the center of
A field of spring marsh grass
begging for light
stretching to the horizon
Your eyes looking at mine
Your back stiff and proud
As if you are carrying that family of clouds
crowding the ridge of your shoulders
Hiding a hunch of yours
That will now become your secret
And your right eye curls with surprise
As if it held a treasure chest of stories
That we should talk about
And I wait for you to wink
Or smile
Or whisper in disbelief
Like you are telling a secret in the dark
‘Papa Is that you'