A Visit

My daughter came to visit.
With her beard,
And scarred and hairy chest.
With her deep voice
And strange behaviour.
For a week,
I smiled and told her I loved her,
I numbed my heart
And hid my tears.

Now she has gone
And I am left with a rash from her beard
Which scratched me as I kissed her goodbye,
And a sickness
In the pit of my stomach.
I spent a week loving a stranger
And I am still waiting for my daughter.