She calls me “second dad”
And with those words ensnares me
Spelled with silken shackles,
Beguiled by a sorceress.

Her charms speaks power, will have their way,
Because she solely shares in certitude.
Her magic is not secret:
A father’s wonder constantly captivated,

Daughters absorb this summoning
Before they conjure a vocabulary.
Smiling glamour through doting resistance,
Invoking two words of power: “ My Daddy”

I call her "second daughter."
Two decades after the first,
Second sight models her presence,
And mirrors her mischievous joy.


		15 September 2023