To My Daughter

...To My Daughter When it comes time let all the words be spoken that must be so that I may take your voice with me for the next ten billion centuries mine will be with you like a packet of letters handwritten over the years to unfold anytime read hear me speak in the voice that used to put you to bed telling the story of all our days fingered in the retelling like pages of your books the best parts dog-eared pressed smooth by thumbprints and the refrain of all our nights as you slipped away: I loved you before dinosaurs even before the stars Joan I. Siegel Commonweal 12 December 21, 2001...