A Father's Prayer.....Or......God's Prayer

Do i protect you from getting hurt,
and let you become angry at me
for not letting you do what you want to
and never knowing that i did it
to protect you
Never even knowing there was
something to be protected from..

And maybe making you love me a little less for that,
if not less than your love in the past for me,
definitely a little less than your present love for your friends
who, like you, see your dream
but can't see the distance..

Or,

Do I let you go and dare?
I let you go....and....
wait,
hoping
praying
crying
silently
that when you do come back
the damage is not so much
that i can't nurse you back
that i can't make you whole again
i hope...
knotting and unkontting my fingers in teary prayers
i hope..
that when you come back
from your flight
there is some you still left inside of you..

I love you, my child,
I love you..
What do I do?