A Girl of Seven and a Distinguished Gentleman

A girl of seven
Sits curled up
On a large couch
With a book in her lap.
Her eyes
Red from crying
And glazed over,
Do not read the words on the pages.

A whisper of discouragement
Escapes her tiny lips
As a distinguished gentleman
Enters the room.
He knows what she said
Though he did not hear it.

A comforting smile and hug
Is given to the girl of seven
By the distinguished gentleman
Though it did little
To the girl's sad expression.
He knew
That something was wrong with her
Despite what the specialists had said.

The distinguished gentleman
Refused to give up
On the girl of seven.
He believed in her.
He knew
She could overcome.

As the girl of seven
Turned into the girl of eight,
The girl of nine,
The girl of ten,
Until she became nearly a young woman,
And thus
She overcame.

So I, being the girl of seven
Would like to thank
The Distinguished Man, my father,
For changing my life forever.
You gave me courage and strength
To keep going.
You taught me ambition and persistence
To fight this long painful battle.
I would never be the same
Intelligent, self-confident
Girl I am today
If it weren't for you.
I love you very much.

Lindsay, December 2000