Butterfly Wings

"She's so beautiful," I said
Counting each finger and toe,
And admiring silky black hair
That covered her tiny head.
Gazing thus, I began to know
A bond that has no compare.

Into the terrible two's she sped,
Great trials to undergo.
A butterfly, grounded as I prepare
Her wings to overspread
And leave her youth below.
Butterfly kisses everywhere,
Forever in my mind's eye.

Off to school she happily tread.
Wingèd footprints in afterglow
I followed home from there.
My butterfly's mind was well fed
And her wings began to grow
Stronger. I began to despair.

A beautiful young woman, instead
Of the child of long ago,
Is now standing there.
I wipe away the tears I have shed
But they just continue to flow.
As she turns to catch a whiff of air
I check her wings and let her fly.

Authors Note: This is a poem written in an (abcabc) (abcabcd) format consisting of 4 stanzas.