I held you in my heart before I knew
Those dimpled cheeks and beaming impish grin.
Once quite the helpless creature, then you grew
Into the little man you are. And when

You speak with a maturity unearned,
Intelligence beyond your fledgling years,
Amazing me each day with what you've learned,
Your childhood much too quickly disappears.

Soon time will take this little boy from me—
Replace this child I love now with a man.
Whatever you decide you want to be,
I hope that you will always understand:

I held you in my heart when you were small,
And time won't change my love for you at all.  


This poem first appeared in Westward Quarterly.
Used here with permission.