Plastic hearts in her toybox—
rummaging little hands,
gigantically small hands,
shove the old away.
delicate bangs.
romping with haste.
she gets a speeding ticket
for her own two feet.
Shyness dries out in the tub.
Through toy,
she says all that she could not
in the gaze of anybody but us—
My creature from the black lagoon roars.
Throaty sniffles sing
as my finger fits around her arm.
Then her snoring,
Then I tidy up the hearts.
The line about shyness "drying out in the tub" is such a striking observation. It makes the simple, quiet act of tidying up those hearts feel like the real, underlying work of parenting. So sweet ✨
A very sweet and wholesome piece.