Tuesday, April 30, 2013

sucker

the moist morning air
turned her cherry lollipop
into flypaper

now peppered with dust,
fragments of leaves, curly hairs,
and other such filth

she holds it like a
scepter, parting the masses
on our holy stroll


Sunday, April 28, 2013

lesson learned

fun is zero sum,
he says.  last night was great, so
today's gotta suck.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

mothers and daughters


the words fall out of
my mouth, rocks plopping heavy
into dark water.

they sink deeper and
and deeper, but we know they're
below the surface,

even when it's still.
she will never say these things
to me, i'm perfect.

but this is a wish,
not a promise.  someday the
tape will play again,

the rocks will plop and
the water will ripple, and
i'll have to listen.


Friday, April 26, 2013

pretend


Her hand creeps through the
window, a starfish inching
along the remains

of a sunken ship.
From behind the wall, I hear
her chitter-chatter,

melodic and hushed,
as she drifts off deeper and
deeper into play.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

feed me seymour

there are two types of
toddler hunger -- that for food
and that for crackers

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

harmonica

with each draw and blow
her belly heaves -- she sways with
her music and smiles.

Monday, April 22, 2013

'where Mama earring ?'

she gingerly taps
my ear with a touch so soft
it makes my hair stand

Sunday, April 21, 2013

camel on the ceiling (or what we say, part 2)

Big Wing, little wing.
What begins with wing ?
Chicken wing on a string,
wing, wing, wing.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Fyrn says, (a near-perfect paraphrase)

"last night I was so
sad ... so sad for no reason.
then I thought of her --

that smile and those eyes --
and for a few sweet moments
I was filled with joy."

Thursday, April 18, 2013

lest she stirs

the giant sleeps in
a booby-trapped lair; one false move --
the stub of a toe

the drop of a pin
the creak of a loose floor board --
and i'm good as dead.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

a thousand deaths

her finger unfurls
to a point, and she coyly
sings 'mama' -- at last.

'wow, she's quite a talker.'

"COCK COCK COCK !" she screams
pointing to the clock in the
nail salon. "COCK. COCK."

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

we welcome spring

her hair flicks forward
with the breeze and the bob of 
her head as she swings

Monday, April 15, 2013

good game, high five.

the biting game is
where i nibble your arm and
you shriek with delight

Sunday, April 14, 2013

she always wakes up in a sweat

a dream, any dream,
is so stunningly vivid --
colors, sounds, shapes, words

we all need a break

the perfect day she
had without me is the thought
that sings me to sleep.

Friday, April 12, 2013

when she concentrates

a silver string of
saliva unravels from
her lip gently as

a spider descends
or silken gossemer pulls
or icicle melts

Thursday, April 11, 2013

ancient grains

golden, flaxen, wheat --
whatever we call that hair
of yours, it's lovely.

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

when they come from a baby

kisses start with a
'mmmmm!' and usually end 
with an open mouth

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

what we say

i love you when you're happy,
and i love you when you're sad;
i love you when you're smiling,
and i love you when you're mad.

Monday, April 8, 2013

it still aches

a certain silence
creeps in between blinks; growing
like ink drip drip drip

dripping on muslin.
the sound of your cry fades in
and out, but my heart ...

Sunday, April 7, 2013

te chatouilles

a single green blade
plucked from the ground and tickled
sous le bout du nez

Saturday, April 6, 2013

time machine

today we had a
fleeting minute during which
we both forgot you.

he bit his candy
in half, and I took it with my
teeth --  that's when it was.

when i took the mint, 
our lips met, and i slipped just a
little bit of tongue

the way i used to
ten years ago with sweet tarts,
waiting for the train.

Friday, April 5, 2013

aujourd'hui

today my big girl
had her first big fall; somehow
i handled it well.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

these are just the facts.

you watch her tear-stained
blotchy face and look at me
like i'm some lost cause.

'big mistake,' you think.
'how could she?'  you think, and then
you excuse yourself.

and i'm left alone
with my child for a moment
while you duck away.

i want you to know
that in that moment -- when you
thought i was annoyed,

tired, and beaten,
i was loving her more than
i've ever liked you.

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

little lady

chubby little hands
clap with glee at my expense
-- the child tyrant reigns.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

little thrills

it's the little thrills
that this bird likes.  balancing
on one leg in socks.

the split seconds of
weightlessness after she's been
tossed up from my hands.

that moment of pure,
white fear that splashes across
my face when she chokes --

how she laughs and laughs
after i've smacked her back twice,
while i'm left breathless.

that sound you make when you're happy

it's somewhere between
excited chitter chatter
and 'tick-a tick-a'.

Monday, April 1, 2013

powerful magic


the angels gave us
a baby.  a good baby,
a quiet baby.

when she sighed, we sighed,
and all was right because we 
now knew perfection.

but the goblin king
stole her, and left us with you
in the baby's stead.

a heathen, wild with
laughter and song,  breath sweeter
than opium, and

eyes the color of
nebulae, striking me down
with only a blink.