We had a daughter for two years

To bring us laughs when she appeared

And showed up on our doorstep smiling

No kitchee coo and all beguiling

But rather tomboy, roller skating

Running, biking, celebrating

The blissfulness of early teens

To shake us up in our routine.

She loved to play games at our table

Board games, card games and when able

To make up games out in our pool

And try to win by her own rules

Or drop by just to shoot the bull

Or watch as we worked with our tools

Then we’d attend her running meets

And see her win as she'd compete.

She helped us through our troubled times

When my mom-in-law with cancer died

And she was there to raise our spirits

And sadly felt a kindred nearness

As her own father’s diagnosed with cancer

Prostate late stage far advancer

And we could try to return the favor

And help her be a little braver.

But mostly we had lots of fun

And laughed at things that she had done

Like the time that’s worth denoting

When our swimming pool had bits of floating

Odd shaped little loosened scales

That turned out to be Pam's Press On nails.

Then as she entered high school life

And grew to be more womanlike,

It’s natural that she progressed

And left our friendly neighborly nest

And moved on through college and into life

Complete with career and now as wife.

Settling on the other coast

Maybe someday they will host

As surrogate family of their own

To some neighbor child that’s on loan.