For McKenna

Darling, with doe's eyes,      wider and brown-greener than a canopy,

                                                            Lighter than the sun that peeks through,

And cheeks like fresh out of the shower,

                        Pink as the strawberry conditioner we once used.

Child of God,      (I mean no offense by this,)

            She is that secret keeper,

that devilish giggle,

that nose crinkle,

 those hands that cover up a grin,

the whisper at 3 am,

and the words "yes," "okay," and "sure."

            She is the girl boys fall asleep wishing for.

 Wishing for the "I just haven't met you yet" girl.

(I worry about introducing her to the guys I like, for she'll always be first pick,

    and she'd laugh for hours if she knew about this,

because she is that humble, and her eyes are that clean.)

Child of God,    not because of Christianity or because her father is a preacher,

But because she is a gift from heaven.

Divinity is in her eyes,

Canopies you can see through.

And since the beginning I have whispered my sins to her,

                                                            My jealousies, pure selfishness, and death wishes.

She always thinks   slow,    and then shakes her head,

                                                                        "That's not terrible. It makes perfect sense."

And I've never understood how this empathetic wisdom has been melted over her.

                                    But it is beautiful, and she is more.

In truth, I'm not sure whether I think there is a God,  or whether I want there to be.

            But McKenna gives me reason to believe

                                                                        In God and in heaven.

And although she's brave enough to shatter the lenses

Of her rose-colored glasses,

                                                There's still sunlight through the canopies.

            Slender body like the doe's, eyes like the doe's, and strawberry cheeks

                                                                                                            Untouched.