Ode to Lily

I don't know when it happened.

When she turned into a little warrior.

A warrior that knows how to express herself.

A warrior that knows how to love and defend her family.

It took me much longer to discover such things.

At six, her warrior-self becomes upset by reactions to autism. 

She is sensitive to her baby brother. 

And here she lays on my tummy.

Her breath travels into my nostrils and I remember who she was before she started filling out her warrior body.

She was heavy then.

She is heavy now.

She will have a heavy impact in the future.

As I grow old I will keep seeking her scent.

And I will try my hardest to hold the weight of her world that is too heavy for her little bones to carry.

Baby memories.

Heart and belly full.

Chocolate-face-warrior.