He looks into the frame to see
A little girl staring back.
Remembering the shirt draped
Past her ankles and the heels
Five sizes too big,
He pictures the girl stumbling
Around the room
Giggling to herself.
Up on her tiptoes,
She’d look into her mother’s eyes
And pronounce I’ll be as big as you someday-
Then go prancing down the hall
Sliding on the hard wood floor.
He looks at the girl in front of him to see
A seventeen year old staring back.
Seeing the jacket and sandals
That fit her perfectly,
No longer too big.
He watches her strut down the hall
With a purpose,
talking on her phone.
She looks at her mother
And asks for a favor-
Then continues down the hallway
Step by step.