“A greeting that not only gives great pleasure but illuminates our lives—like a message in a bottle.”–Robert McCrum, writer and editor

“Ten Poems about Daughters” is a title in the “Instead of a Card” series, based on the idea that sending a greeting card is a lovely gesture, and sending a booklet of poetry an even more meaningful one.

A daughter will always be a daughter, and this beautiful and tender selection celebrates that joyful fact.

We begin with a birth and progress through the years via familiar landmarks; the beloved toys of early childhood and tricky teenage arguments lead to the inevitable moment when a daughter must leave home.

A poem about teaching a daughter to swim becomes a moving expression of a rite of passage into independence:

“You will watch her
leaving the shore behind

and the current will flow
the right way. That day,
the water will hold her…”

– Clare Shaw, ‘Teaching Your Daughter to Swim’ 

Running through every poem there is an abiding sense of the power of the bond between a parent and daughter – and of course there is always love.

Selected by Katharine Towers.

Poems by Michael Brown, SL Grange, Harry Guest, Joanna Ingham, James P Lenfestey, Kim Moore, Marilyn Nelson, Clare Shaw, Anne Stevenson and Claire Walker. 

Cover illustration by Caroline Barker.