A Poem For My Great Daughter: An Orchid Of Light For You
An Orchid Of Light For You
What a wonderful light you are
With a smile that goes out onto the horizon
A laugh that is it's own tune!
You are brave in your perseverance
You are a tower of dance and song
You are quiet like a little stream hiding in the woods too
For you I aim all the powers of The Great Spirit to bounce off the moon
For you I hope against the arches in the dark
For you I beg courage and kindness from the concrete of here and now
We share a thawing lake of humor still
What a great daughter you are
Though time is charging at you a wild spitting mustang
You don't ask for my perfection or your own
You need just a drop of water for your mind's light
This orchid from my heart to your own
More Poetry, Humor and Insight from Ben Zoltak
Comments
AUTHORThank you Nell, she's a bit older now, I love her no less of course, but times have certainly changed. She's as independent as ever, with a strong will of her own, and I hope someday she comes back to me.
Cheers,
Ben
Aw, that's so beautiful Ben, lovely poem!
- AUTHOR
Thanks Shyron, funny I keep hearing that or something similar a lot lately...what a great feeling, and I'm very grateful for it.
Thank you!
Ben
Ben, thank you for sharing you beautiful daughter with us. You are a blessed man.
Voted up, UABI and shared.
Shyron
You're welcome :-
- AUTHOR
Thank you Sweetie Pie and Maita. I need to be more on top of my Hubpages writing, to be sure, I miss it and you all!
Ben
Haven't read this, beautiful poem.
Well I will look forward to your future poems.
- AUTHOR
Thank you Sweety Pie! My spirit needs more poetry!
Ben
Such a nice poem to dedicate to your daughter.
- AUTHOR
Thank you Alexa for your kind words. I've heard people say, that's just how every father should be, but that being said, it isn't always the case. Good moms and dads need to be recognized and held up as examples, I'm not saying that about me necessarily, haha, but others.
Thanks again,
Ben
It is so nice to see parents working on relationships with their daughters. Thank you!
Alexa Storetveit
- AUTHOR
Thank you warmly JBeadle. I love that the internet generates so much great feedback for a poem. Everyday my daughter changes a little bit, and I tag along.
Ben
What a beautiful tribute to your daughter. I like the line "you are a tower of dance and song".
- AUTHOR
@ Jason: Thanks for the reassurance!
@ li smith: Thank you so much! It's positively not easy with a teenage daughter all the time! But we live with each others minor faults.
Best!
Ben
Beautiful poetic expression, and yes, as Mary Berger says, 'the most beautiful expressions of a parent's hope for his child'!
I read your poem and its awesome. Love it and its so touching. Thank you for sharing it to us and I'm looking forward to read another of your beautiful poem. Keep it up. :)
- AUTHOR
Thank you Mary that is a wonderful gesture and I am so glad you found something touching here to share with your daughters! I will try your mirror idea with my daughter soon too I like it!
"For you I beg courage and kindness from the concrete of here and now" I made a little sign (credited Ben Zoltak) and put it above my daughter's mirror. This has to be one of the most beautiful expressions of a parent's hope for his child I have ever found. I hope you don't mind, I just had to share it with my girls.
- AUTHOR
Thank you for sharing your connection mwatkins and for noticing mine. I try hard to be a good Dad. My daughter has a strong spirit.
My mom told me once that as far as my father was concerned, the sun rose and set on my head. I can see you feel the same way about your daughter. Dads been gone now for 23 years, but he is still a hero to me. Thank you for sharing your heart!
- AUTHOR
Thanks mynameisnotpaul!Doing my best to keep it real with my teenage daughter.
Oh my, that was precious!!! Thanks for sharing. :)
- AUTHOR
Thank you kindly nadp, she's 13 going on 16 with a toe still in the 12ish range! She'll always be my babe!
Beautiful. How old is your daughter?
- AUTHOR
Thank you Petra! You are so very correct about my muse, in fact I live with two, my daughter and my wife. Thanks again for your kind and generous comment my European friend!
Ben
Hi Ben,
I did not know you write poetry as well, but with such Muse to inspire your love and your pride, the poem came out just as beautiful as your beloved daughter
- AUTHOR
Thanks Cosette, its' never too late to write a poem for you kid! Thanks for the compliment! I appreciate it!
omgsh, this is so wonderful. it melted my heart. makes me want to write something for my son. i did when he was little. beautiful picture too.
- AUTHOR
Haha, Fiksy I have to laugh because you are not the first person to misunderstand the title of this, this is about my daughter, who is great. Not my Great Granddaughter! Lol, I'm old, but I ain't dat old! Hehe, anyway, gave me a laugh to save the ghost. Thanks for the compliment either way, it warms my heart!
wow this is great. wish my grandmother was eduacated enought to write this for me. good job ben
- AUTHOR
Thanks again, I'm kinda sheepish about recognizing nick names but I like that one! Hehe.
Hi Ben,
So........charmer it is! Nice moniker in which to be labeled.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Peggy! They call me a charmer (a moniker I can live with) I'll check out the Wisconsin/South Dakota story.
Ben, what a charming tribute from a father to his much beloved daughter!
BTW...that request you asked of me to tell more of my childhood memories...take a look at my latest hub regarding our vacation from Wisconsin to South Dakota. It is a slice of life from the 1950's. I tried to respond to your request again, but it would not allow another response, so pardon my telling you this in this format.
It kinda touch me when a father do this thing to their children, sweet -- Maita
- AUTHOR
I like the way you phrased it Becca, I do too sometimes! I like the cheer you keep with it though too!
Well, thanks Ben. I embrace the darkness, cause well, someone has to... haha : )
- AUTHOR
I used to write more poetry when my heart was younger Becca!
But there is some in this old brain of mine anyhow! I think you are just alright to me, you seem clever and creative, maybe a little dark sometimes, but I think a lot of us myself included get that way at times. I appreciate your kind words!
Ben! I didn't know you had it in you! How pleasantly surprised I am to read such a beautiful poem. Your daughter will surely be proud and beaming when she reads it. Never let her think otherwise (or she'll turn out like me, and you don't want that!!!!)... ; ) Thanks for the wonderful read.
- AUTHOR
Thanks habeee, and how, this one melts my heart when she wants to!
Wonderful verse Ben. Daughters are truly great gifts!
- AUTHOR
Thanks Mike means a lot coming from you. I figure, like many parents, there are things in life I cannot at this time, give to my daughter, mostly certain material things. But at least I can give her my words and expressions.
Very nice, Ben. The love you have for your family shines through, and your ability to express your feelings with words makes you an admirable (and relatively rare) parent. How many kids don't even know how much they are loved because their parents simply can't find a way to express their feelings? Your family is lucky to have you, my friend.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Green Lotus, I have a couple nieces and nephews and I agree with you they are all a joy. Boys sure can be wild monkeys though! They are more like hyper gerbils that you need to find a wheel for! Haha.
- AUTHOR
blackmarx, thanks for the compliment. You're right about being a Dad, I never imagined it would be, but it really is a joy.
Hello Ben. What a love tribute to your daughter. I do not have kids, but I have a niece who is my joy. As the song says, "thank heaven for little girls"!
Yet another great hub. Being a dad is such a joy.
- AUTHOR
Thanks Stephen, I appreciate it, coming from someone who has seen more of the world than myself!
Hello Ben,
Thanks for your comment. Art, yes, that´s where its at. I read your Hub and see that you are an artist. I saw some amazing art while traveling in Bangkok and Laos. Some of the paintings only took minutes to paint. The artists were selling their wears to the tourists. I checked out Zomba too. That site looks interesting. I will probably give it a go.
Hey, thanks for your post and I look forward to see you sellling some of your art online on your Hubpages. Hubpages, a super platform whether you are selling your own art, books, or music.
Regards,
Stephen Bass
English Language Instructor
- AUTHOR
Thanks akirchner, I hope to maybe have a son one day too, but if not, I see how people such as yourself cherish them warmly. Thanks for the kudos!
Daughters are a special gift - after 2 boys, I was delighted to see my little Kate and as I tell her often I fell in love the moment I met her...boys too but there was just something special about that little girlie. Enjoy having a man express it so profoundly though! Great job.
- AUTHOR
Glad you enjoyed my words Tammy. It's true, not every Dad is the poetic type. Each Dad probably has a little something different to offer. Some can show their love thru explaining how to fix a car, or how to budget your money or swim the backstroke. This is what I've got to give. Also glad to know your husband feels this way, when I googled "daughters" some of the items that came up were pretty sad, so it makes feel good to know there's better out there!
Now I know how Dad's feel about their daughters. I know my husband feels this way but he's not the poetic type. I really enjoyed.
- AUTHOR
Dean, I know what you mean! My own has that same 'thorny' side, much like me. Mainly though, I figured I wanted her to know how much she means to me, in case I disappear off of this earth any time soon. Not planning on it, but better to be safe in this regard!
Hi Ben,Nice to see such devotion to your daughter.
I compare mine to a Rose.
Every time I talk to her she becomes"Thorny"lol'
Thanks
Dean
- AUTHOR
Thanks Big Bill, I'm lucky that we don't have one of those "little communication" relationships that some parents have with their kids. The two of us have gone through some tough times together, so I think we have a strong bond because of going forward and surviving.
Sometimes having your oldest be a son can be a curse, so maybe you dodged another bullet there hombre! Glad to hear you're in touch with your heart through your daughter, it takes a real man to be able to do that.
Ben,
This is a wonderful poem. It's amazing what little girls can do to us, eh? Many songs and poems have been written about daughters, "Daddy's Girl," "My Little Girl," and "Butterfly Kisses" to name a few. Daddy's girl definitely hits home with me because I really wanted a boy first but when that doctor passed that little girl to me, my heart did "jump for joy."
Good poem; I enjoyed reading it. Take care bud...
William Cobb
http://williamcobb.blogspot.com
"What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?"
- AUTHOR
Hello, hello, thank you for your warm compliment.
Pamela99, thank you. I hope to have a Granddaughter someday as well!
Ben, Granddaughters are special and this is an excellent poem for your precious one.
A wonderful poem and thank you for sharing.
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