Holding Tight

BY CAROLE NICHOLS


There was a time, little girl,
When you were first born,
I was your whole world
From morn till early morn.


You'd grab my finger, holding tight,
So you I'd safely keep;
Anchored there in my arms,
Needing only love, food and sleep.


Swifty, it seems, you grew,
Singing with Barney and Big Bird;
Hugging them and holding tight,
Was the sweetest sound I've ever heard.


Taller and taller, I watched you change,
As with Barbie you played and dressed;
Holding tight as you combed her hair,
To find the style you liked best.


You got older still, and there was school,
New friends to fill out your world;
Arm in arm, laughing and holding tight,
As before you, new horizens unfurled.


And now you look ahead at life,
As a young woman you slowly become;
I find myself clinging and holding tight;
My little girl I'm missing some.


You are learning to stand on your own,
Eager to find what life has in store;
Reaching out, grabbing, holding tight,
Hungry to experience more and more.


I find myself wishing to just stop time,
To go back to the start and begin;
For soon, there'll be another, holding tight;
And my nest will be empty, once again.