VELDMAN, Vick


(to our daughter)

What matters

Small things remain:

the quiet peace of rustling poplars,

the yellow of buttercups and grass growing green,

the smell of wood after a vernal shower,

a smile, a blush on girlish cheeks,

the warmth of your name,

a child’s hand at the window,

the tear making clear:

“I’ll be there.”