Elsa, My Brown Eyed Granddaughter

Elsa, My Brown Eyed Granddaughter by Edmund Siejka Even when you were a little child Your watchful eyes Saw everything Missed nothing Your baby laugh was infectious And rightfully so Because you were the brown eyed Princess In your mother’s heart. Years later On one Spring day On a wide field Boys lined up for soccer Accompanied by their Dads Tattooed men, baseball caps and beer bellies When some one in the back said “Y’know the government says they gotta let the girls play. Ain’t that something?” The question hung in the air Unanswered. You bit your lower lip And we were afraid that you would get hurt or wouldn’t be able to compete. Against the boys who were heavier and taller But we were surprised The look of determination on your face was that of Wonder Woman Racing onto the field never looking back You were running against the wind Bypassing the bullies Pushing them out of the way And scoring two goals. After the game The coach came up, Clip board in hand, Looked down on you and asked “Whaddy say your name is again?” You told him your name and he shook his head Saying to everyone and to no one in particular “She’s really good. She’s better than the guys on the team.” When we got home you did somersaults and back flips And I cautioned “Be careful Elsa, be careful” And your response was the same “I’m always careful Grandpa.” With your determination and tenacity You can become anything you want And if you should find your dreams Blocked by a closed door Summon your true spirit And kick the door wide open For you are Elsa.