a daughter that never was
is framed in my mind life like
a toddler with a naughty look
with wobbly feet and crawl

for her I coined umpteen names
from jungle books and cartoon flicks
some quickly popped out of air
while some faded away with time

from rompers, frocks and skirts
she soon grew into the jumpers
her years moved too fast for me
from a toddler to her teens

when I stroll along the streets
with her arm hooked into mine
she grabs all the attention
of all the handsome eyes

as I now gather her bits and things
strewn around in my mind
i piece them all together
in sequence of past times-

a day when I went shopping
in a book store near her parlor
a book stared right back at me
with "A dad I never saw" inscribed

I picked that book from the shelf
and held it close to my breast
soon tears rolled down my eyes
to bubble kiss its every page