things unsaid.

Mother, I know what's going on.
I am no longer a child.
It's not like I don't want to be sleeping next to you.
I always do. It makes me feel safe. It makes me feel innocent.
In truth, I'll always be
that little girl who ran to your bedroom in the middle of the night
snuggling between the both of you.

Father, I know the story behind the careful gestures.
The calculated reactions.
Struggling to hold the fort, to keep it together.
Acting like nothing's out of the ordinary.
See, that is why you are my hero.
You are Superman, you are Batman, you are all those guys
times a hundred.
There are no men in the world who can even hope
to be as amazing as you are in my eyes.

I like to show defiance every now and again
and say I'm a grown up woman.
It's not a passing fancy - I am.
Heck, even you, Father, you now have to knock on my door before you come in.
I'm a woman grown.
Yet when things like this happen
I always feel so
Small.
So naive. So childish.
Thought I knew of the ways of the world, but I didn't.

I always thought you were invincible.
But that, you know, is a child's passing fancy.
I always forget
that you were a couple first
before being "Mom-and-Dad"
I shouldn't be so disappointed
when things like this happen.

Mother, Father
I am going to be strong
for both your sakes and mine.

Mother, we will have girl talk when the light's out tonight.
We'll talk about clothes, makeup, faraway places we dream to go.
Father, we will have meaningful conversations
about our jobs, about our lives.
You'll even slip in a joke asking me when I'd introduce you to my boyfriend.

For tonight. For now.
I will be your rock.

© Photo by Liana Mikah on Unsplash