To watch you at ten
teetering on the edge of becoming
is to watch the trapezist
working without a net.

(This is so egg-like,
cracking at any minute
due to my carelessness,
or tended with care,
emerging ready to take wing.)

Nothing but clichés
and time-worn expressions
of support come to mind
when new phrasings are called for,
ultimately, you must learn the acrobatics
on your own:

I can only promise
my hands will be there
to grab hold
when you complete
this breathtaking maneuver.