POETRY - Jill Rosenthal

Love Letter To My Daughter 

By Jill Rosenthal

I’m having a sizzling love affair with my daughter.

I gaze at her when she’s not looking, 

And even when she is.  

“Quit it, Momma,” she says

Looking back down to pull 

A lime green prom dress 

Over her Barbie’s knees.

In the bathtub she’ll hand me that doll,

And tell me to be “The Mom.”

“Why do I always have to be The Mom,” I’ll ask,

And she’ll huff a lock of hair out of her eyes and smile:

“Cause I’m the kid!”

I’m in love with her because

During her soccer games, 

She stands in the middle of the field 

And looks for butterflies,

Or makes up a dance,

Trying to turn her toes out with her elbows,

As though that will help. 

Because at night, after I’ve set down 

Her glass of water,

And fluffed her pillow,

And checked the closet –   

She holds very still,

So I can kiss her face 15 times,

Only her eyes following me

As I make the rounds: 

Three on her right cheek, 

Three more on her forehead, 

Left cheek, chin and nose.

Nose is always last.

And because every morning,

I find her in my bed – 

Legs intertwined with mine,

Blond hair fanned out across my sheets,

And when I say: “Who’s been sleeping in my bed?” 

She burrows her face

Deep into my pillow

And giggles.

Muffled giggles,

Elbows akimbo,

“Quit it, Momma”

I’m so in love.

Jill Rosenthal is an attorney, writer and longtime member of the Los Angeles Poets and Writers Collective. She has taught poetry classes at UC Berkeley and more recently through Get Lit; Words Ignite – a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing classic poetry to inner city students (and recently honored by Michelle Obama at White House).  Her performance of “Avoiding Penetration” -- an original humorous poem about explaining sex to her daughter -- can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEFjDMV4J00.)