Dancing with My Daughter: Poems of Love, Wisdom & Dreams

Contents Acknowledgments [ ix ] Waltz [ 1 ] Jitterbug

[ 15 ]

Tango [ 29 ] Samba

[ 45 ]

Freestyle [ 65 ] About the Author [ 81 ]

Wa l t z “Having a daughter has given me a reason to reach higher and be more than I am.”

–Debbie, mother of Christy

this book, and the realization that, even though the mother-daughter dance will eventually end, its steps are pressed into our hearts forever. I hope my words can be a conduit for appreciating yours anew.

Blessings, J.J.F.

[ ]

Heirloom I remember this dress!

It was my favorite.

I loved it because it was buttercup yellow, because the fabric was softer than skin, because the sunflower buttons made me smile, because Mother made it just for me.

Look at you wearing it now!

Wouldn’t your grandmother be proud?

And shouldn’t I be ashamed that such superlative sewing skills seem to have skipped a generation?

I can make you a cake, my darling.

I can make you a nursery rhyme.

But I cannot make you a soft yellow dress with sunflower buttons.

And that is my loss, much more than yours. [ ]

Portrait Here we sit— two girls— surrounded by all things pink.

I look at your fingers so tiny! kiss them, caress them, wonder what all will fall within their grasp.

Your eyes are wide and merry, as though you know some delectable secret and can’t wait until I discover it, too. [ ]

But it is your skin that captivates me.

So pure!

Fairly glistening with unsullied newness of life.

My finger is a sponge as I trace across your temple, tickle across your tummy,

tease across your toes.

I soak up your virgin essence like a parched stem sucking up summer rain.

Gorged on your glorious goodness,

[ ]

inspiration/poetry

— Glenis Redmond, award-winning performance poet and author of Backbone, Naming It, If I Ain’t African, and Word Power

— Mary Lou Carney, editor in chief, Guideposts for Kids/Teens

is a happily married mother of three, a writer, and a speaker. She and her family make their home in Green­ ville, South Carolina. You can learn more about Jayne by visiting her Web site at www.jaynejaudonferrer.com. jayne jaudon ferrer

$12.95

poems of love, wisdom & dreams

“Having a daughter has given me a reason to reach higher and be more than I am.”

—Debbie, mother of Christy

Dancing with my Daughter

“ The perfect gift for anyone who has a daughter or is one!”

Fe r r e r

“ Dancing with My Daughter is an upbeat celebration, a poetic delicacy leaving you fed, fortified, and wanting more.”

Dancing with my Daughter

Cover illustration: Clifford Alejandro Cover design by Megan Duffy Rostan

J a y n e J a u d o n Fe r r e r

Celebrate the joys, challenges, and blessings of being the mother of daughters in Jayne Jaudon Ferrer’s

Dancing with my Daughter her newest collection of unforgettable poems.

An extraordinary bond exists between a mother and her daughter—it is a relationship of tensions and tenderness, friendship and frustration, incredible highs and gut-wrenching lows. Dancing with My Daughter is a profoundly moving collection of poems that will touch the hearts of mothers and daughters everywhere.