From Daddy,
To my beloved daughter,
I want to write you on your sixth birthday,
and I hope you will view this when you are older.
I have found a poem that made me think of you.
You are, as your Thai name would have it,
my shining star. So serious as a babe, you are
now a radiant delight and so very dear to me,
mommy, and all your family and friends.
You are so very generous, so funny,
so tender hearted toward others.
I love to cuddle with you; I hope you will
want to hang out with me as I do you
for many, many years to come.
I had dreamnt since I was young
that I would have a daughter to love so dearly.
You are my dream come true.
Happy birthday, my dearest daughter.
For My Daughter, from Selected Poems
David Ignatow
When I die choose a star
and name it after me
that you may know
I have not abandoned
or forgotten you.
You were such a star to me,
following you through birth and childhood, my hand
in your hand.
When I die
choose a star and name it
after me so that I may shine
down on you, until you join
me in darkness and silence
together.
