Boy Germs

As my daughters
Were growing up,
They amused me
With their evolving
Distinctions and comments
On the subject
Of boys and men.
By age four or five
They had developed
A phobia of something
They called boy germs.
To hear them talk
They were a peril
Akin to the plague.
As they entered their teens,
Guys suddenly became
“The masculine subspecies,”
A subtle but comical shift
In interpretation
Of the differences
Between the sexes.
That phase subsided
Almost as quickly
As it appeared,
And a more ominous phase
Took hold.
All of a sudden
They were talking
About the possibility
Of someday
Getting married
And having kids
Of their own.
Deep down,
I knew where
That conversation
Was heading.
When Becky,
My oldest daughter,
Met a guy she liked,
I knew immediately.
She didn’t have to
Say a thing.
It was written
All over her face.
She was on top
Of the world,
Practically
Dancing on air,
And boy germs
Were the least
Of her concerns.
I watched as
Becky’s and Sal’s
Love for each other
Grew and matured,
And I envied
Both their youth
And their passion.
It was Ruby’s turn next,
To overcome her fear
Of those treacherous
Boy germs.
She chose Alfred
To be her husband.
Nothing gives me
More peace of mind
Than knowing
My children are happy
And well taken care of.
No other success
I have had in my life
Comes remotely close
In value.