Safety

if I was a jewel
my dad was the box
lined with the softest cotton

if I was a seashell
he was a rounded mound
of sand that kept me
from washing out
to sea

if I was an egg
he was the woven strands
of hair, grass and twigs
hollowed out
holding me

if I was a child
he was always there
at the edges
quietly
encircling.

and so today.