You were made for my left hip
Legs hugged around my side
Tethered to a safe place
Like your shelter inside
Bones shifted,
Hips widened
Making room for your
Underwater heartbeat
Deep-sea diving to chomp
That piece of sushi
Mama wasn’t supposed to eat
Little fingers grab salty goldfish
Submerged in a lime green snack cup
Successfully hooked and into the mouth
Saltine crackers,
One of the only cures for day-long nausea
The size of a pea, and the power
to keep me on the couch all day long
My lips purse your sweaty hair
The bald crown I once kissed
Held under my chin
Feet barely touching my breasts
Where I nourished your warm body,
Laid on my chest, tiny, and
Finally, at peace for the moment
A toddler body
Envelopes my torso,
Squirms and fights to get out of my arms
I can’t hold you long
Like the day when your
Head pressed down
Ready to come out because
My bones shifted for you, and
You were custom made for my left hip
But you won’t fit there forever
I’ll loosen my grip
little
by little
Show you the world
one piece
at a time
Slow down,
Little one
Grow now,
little one.
A note about this poem: Written January 22, 2021 when my son was 20 months old.
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