my daughter has a fascination with my wedding album
she makes her daddy or I turn each page delicately
we are supposed to point to each family member or friend
and name them, including ourselves
she likes to repeat us
slowly drawing out the syllables on her tongue
looking up to make sure
her pronunciation is correct
each time she nears the page
he resides on, I dread it
she has proudly memorized his name
and frowns when I tell her “that’s daddy’s old friend”
she obviously doesn’t agree with my identification
because it’s not how we have referred to him before
it is potentially the greatest lesson I could ever teach her
about forgiveness and empathy
being a kind human being
to the ones that rip us apart
when she is older I will explain
who he was and the things he did
and how her daddy’s insides burned
when he got back that pink teddy bear
a welcome present he had sent to their firstborn
she doesn’t know that it is the same stuffed animal
that she sleeps with
curls her tiny body around
each night
a permanent reminder
that those that break us down
have the power to harden us-
but only if we let them
L. D. Diem lives in Michigan with her energetic toddler, “always has to be right” husband and unusual barkless dog.
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