for the otherwise

you were proud of me,
for life hadn’t yet told me otherwise.

smiling over my little, innocent slumber,
each ordinary, quiet night.
pacing the pitch sidelines,
come rain or shine.
shouting at the edge of the court,
just to make sure
your’s was the voice i heard...

because you were proud of me,
and life tried to tell me otherwise.

now growing things grow,
now surprises and delights seem
required to keep this going.
heavy-yoked earning shrewdly replaces
a curious, wide-eyed learning.
more goals must be scored,
marks achieved, mountains climbed...

just to make sure,
you are still proud of me,
because i let life tell me otherwise.

now rain melts it all away,
shaken what’s shaky,
deepening what’s rooted.
then together we find,
i’m held and hidden,
in helpless slumber again...

quiet enough for a whisper,
you’ve always been proud of me,
and life can’t tell me otherwise.