.:FATHER OF THE BRIDE:.

The dance, a command performance

Daddy's Little Girl, the song
  yet the body held, a woman now.

The man decorated in black and white
  struggles to hide the tears
that threaten to expose themselves
  as each

      step,
               step

draws them closer
  to the turning of another page.

The teacher recalls the touch
  of weightless feet upon his own
as they

     stepped,
                stepped

to the sounds of heartbeats
  and laughter.

The father remembers sleepless
  nights, and

     steps,
               steps

that circled rooms filled
  with the whimsy of
a little girl's dreams,

          and

  the lump in his throat when
    she brought the message
      he knew would come
        from one
          
          who was a child,
            is his child,
              is a woman,
                is

                  another's bride.

by: Jennie Wheeling