Sun-kissed, honeyed limbs blessed with golden down,
Hair like woven sunlight dancing with the breeze;
Teddy bear held in one arm as she runs and plays,
Green grass stains her feet so small and young.
Cheerful yellow sundress displays her youthful limbs,
A pink ribbon silkily shines within her flaxen locks;
Sunlight a halo or aura for this glorious little girl,
Until she runs, delighted, into my waiting arms in the shade.
Dappled light through the leaves of the quaking aspen
Dances upon us as she pounces on me, my new human necktie;
The checkered cloth billows as we land on it, cushioned by grass,
Her gleeful giggles like a turbo-boost for my soul.
My heart-beat skips as my hands hold her close,
My body electrified with glee as she showers me in kisses;
The teddy lays, forgotten, beside the basket, as I kiss her in turn.
I run my fingers through her hair, and we kiss deeply.
Her perfect little fingers entwine in mine, as I kiss her cheek and chin,
My vision framed by golden hair, as I nibble her earlobe, her neck;
Her giggles are like hot chocolate, warming me up inside,
As a bird serenades us from our shady tree.
Our kisses stop, and she lays her head on my chest;
I run my fingers through her hair as she listens to my heart.
Her warm, earthly scent is a comfort as my drooping eyelids close,
The call of a nap stronger than that of the meal.
A warm sunbeam and warmer breath on my face wake me, and she grins.
Rolling off me smoothly, she raids the basket half of its burden
Before I can even sit up, the little darling child.
I envy the energetic gusto of my sweet seven-year-old.
We eat our fill, and once more she goes out into the light,
A golden-limbed child with yellow hair, laughing as she runs;
Already I ache again to feel her in my arms, as I watch.
But I grow weary of the shade; grinning, I stand to join her;
And now, as long as the rivers do run,
She and I will dance with the sun.