Quince Primaveras

my daddy is strong and kind
i think he knows me more than i thought
he wants me to be happy
so he learned how to dougie
and when he did it he got in trouble
mom discovered that he COULD dance
"after all these years you bastard..."
she was annoyed but happy
because her husband could dance
finally

my daddy is mexican
(uruguayan really
we just call him that to annoy him)
and in the spanish tradition
when a girl turns fifteen she is a woman
and has a huge party spilling over with
weird annoying old traditions
i'm still worried about how dad is gonna
slip the high heels on my feet
but we'll figure it out
we always do
and after we dance
i'm allowed to put my sneakers back on

my daddy bought me instant coffee
and puts the water on before i'm up in the morning
because he knows it's much faster
and i need my coffee
and lately i've been noticing these things
so when i'm older i'll make creamy coffee
just like he taught me to
it's the best way to drink that kind

when i'm older i'll buy french bread
not white for my brother
not cinnamon for my sister
not wheat for my mother
but french for us
so when daddy comes to visit
there's a half for me
and a half just for him

when i'm older he won't be there
to snap my straps
when they show under a tank top
or make me eggs sometimes
or pancakes on sundays
or buy me chocolates from the great american
four for a dollar
food is the way to my heart
i'm sure he knows that

i love my daddy to the sun and back
to the city and beyond
from a tabloid picture to the line at the register
wherever my future goes
i'll always come back to him
when he is old
after everyone stops staring
at the only spanish guy in town
he's MY daddy
and that will never change.