The last few evenings
your dad has asked you
to play catch
and we don’t say it out loud
but we know he’s doing it
not because you want
to play catch but because
you don’t
I’ve heard it from other parents
the dresses
the jewelry
the scraping of short hair
into pigtails
it’s probably a phase
and even if it’s not
we’re open
we really are
but there’s no denying
it would be a harder life
which is why
when your dad came in
from a run yesterday
and asked you
hey bud
could you teach me
how to do dress-up
and then last night
when he stayed up learning
the chords to
Let It Go
I sang along
as loud as I could
to that anthem
of little girls everywhere
I don’t care
what they’re going to say
I’m free.