The Little Girl Down the Street

Reasoning Behind the Poem

This is a poem about a little girl who lives down the street from me. I've watched her grow up from a distance, and I could never find anything more fascinating than watching someone grow up and mature like she has.



I’ve watched that little girl for about
Eight years, give or take;
Each sight more fascinating
And significant than the last.

I’ve watched that little girl get taller
Inch by tethering inch;
Each sprout more acquainted
And matured than the last.

I’ve watched that little girl switch
From waddle to run;
Each step more confident
And graceful than the last.

I’ve watched that little girl with a
Untamable fierceness in my heart;
Each pang more pulsing
And unfathomable than the last.

I’ve watched that little girl with
A unfamiliar sense of pride;
Each wave more boastful
And energizing than the last.

That little girl isn’t so little anymore.
She now has about nine or ten
Years of unimpeachable wisdom on her.
And for all those years,
She has had someone cheering her on
From the sidelines.

That little girl’s identity may remain
Unknown to me.
But watching her journey
Through the jungles of life
Is all I need to feel proud
Of that little girl.