Remember when

Remember when
Rooibos tea with milk was grownup
hours didn't matter in a Wendy house
newly cut green grass
didn't make me itch
Creme Soda was a Special Occasion Drink
when goose-bump joy was as easy as a joke
or puppy lying next to me
breathing in and out together


Remember when the tennis court was a playground
full of dreams woven by bike rides, round and round
remember when you knew
that crying would always stop
and the world would be balanced again
after a hug and a hot bath

I remember now
that there has always been your hand holding mine
across the dust
and a standing rock behind all the closed doors
beyond imitation
and that you can still
stop my crying
just by being my father.