Forever Young

I watched the video for Jay-Z’s Forever Young on You Tube
With my four …
Wait …
Five year old daughter
It’s been three weeks and
I’m still not used to it
I know
Intellectually
That she won’t be and
That this isn’t a song for a four or five year old but
I want her to hear the music that moves me
Has always done so
All of it
Not just Beethoven and
Bono and the Beatles or
Barry Manilow
Jay has never been my favorite
But even I recognize that she’s not an adult
Yet and
That there is a difference
However fleeting and ephemeral
A difference
A difference between what it will mean to her now and
What it will mean to her later and
What it means to me
Difference can be as great
As spoken word over a great beat
With a familiar melody in the background but
Not quite as great as
Having her in my lap
Smiling
Looking at me
Eye contact and
Knowing that I am smiling
Self conscious about it too
It and
Ass and
Worse
Self conscious and
Happy and
Watching Jay Z’s Forever Young on You Tube
With my five year old daughter on my lap