Blank walls surround the white crib of imagination. I stroke her long dark hair that frizzes and becomes a mess with a million mistakes. I sing to her, letting her finger with the hem of my dress. She hums to herself a soundtrack of her own future without even knowing. I braid her conflicts into one outcome of pure love and strength which will always be awaiting her next fall. The warmth from her small body lingers around her in a glow. I will tell her my lessons and yearnings. She will look at the world with her large glorious eyes to peer through a fog of society. She will learn to compromise and love everyone she meets equally. She will experience loss and heartbreak as she grows into a younger version of myself. I will try my best to show her there is no place like home and nothing better than family. She will listen to me and play at my words with her tauting imagination. I will teach her to look at the world as an open book; all she must do is read through the lines. Music and poetry will find their way to my small miracle. She will lose herself in a secret universe of passion. We will fight off reality with the everlasting bond that ties us together so tightly. As the years fall slowly, awaiting a pile at the roots, I will guide her through mazes of tunnels and faith. And in the end, I will see her leave me as she floats beyond my love and finds another of her own. I will watch over her, with great care and empathy. I will sing to her as I use to, and untangle every dilemma she opens with her enormous heart. We will sit and pour into every last problem and progress into the next chapter of our lives. I will write my own novel of love and perfect happiness. She will finger with my necklace as she did as a baby. She will hum to herself the thoughts that boil and bubble in our meek little minds. We will raise our glasses to every year that passes and thank God for having each other. My daughter is going to learn to love and forget those who punish her. Until then, I have my own songs and poems to write. They are to depict whether or not all this comes true.