How can I possibly keep up?

Tonight I made her wash her hands
because her nails were inky.
She shrieked at the lovely tepid water
Why would you hurt your child???
Your OWN CHILD, Mama???
and when I started giggling
she got indignant and asked why and I said
“Ohhh, you know why,”
and she laid her head against my leg and said,
Maybe normally I might know, but it’s bedtime
and my mind is asleep, Mommy.
But then she snapped her head up to add,
But not too asleep for stories.

I like them red, gold, and romantic

Just like Emily of New Moon,
things press on me until I
‘write them out.’
Whatever do people do
who can’t confide their soul
to their diary?

We like our joy unhygienic

Today we gathered up
the juicy joy of the earth
and held it in our hands.
Maybe, just maybe,
some of us popped it
straight in our mouths.

These days go on forever.

As the sun streams in, I try to put
my girl to bed.
Outside, people in yellow socks
are running around looking for beer.
I don’t mean that metaphorically;
they are actually
running, and they are searching for beer,
and when they find it, they will drink it.
Loudly.
I would honestly rather be right here,
reading Berenstein Bears and
Kureyon No Kurokun.
Which is nice to know, since this
is where I am.

Beauty has its way with me

Some days I feel like I’m failing
at everything.
So then I take a little paper,
and a pair of scissors, and some glue,
and I mess around… just messing…
around… with paper…
until beauty has its way with me.
And I wrest glory out of failure.
Now listen, my dears.
Did you know that I send out a little
rich juicy starry beauty
every month?
If you’re not on the list for that,
you should be…
because I’m sending out some extra
treats this month.

Ahhhh, siblings.

Impromptu family dinners
are beyond delightful.

It’s beautiful when flowers do it

Oh, I am dropping petals today,
and I hate this part–
I so much prefer
luscious blooming.
But blossoms and bodies both
know that shedding is
part of wisdom, and so
I will try to let what is unnecessary
go.

Hurray for beauty everywhere

I resurrected an old dinnertime ritual,
and no one protested.
Hurray!!
Hurray for picnics in the park! I started.
She leaped in joyfully:
Hurray for a pretty couch!
Hurray for a blackboard!
Hurray for a chair I never sat on til today!
Hurray for a craft table!
Hurray for scissors! For enchiladas! For pears!
Hurray for– for– for us!
It’s hard to top that.
But I would add, hurray for beauty
even in
the humblest of crannies.

Shopping for pretty things

A little of this, a little of that…
and perched on top,
the babies in their car seats.
Who are lavished with much cooing.

Photo credit: AJK

Oof.

Some days we are so tired
we can hardly keep our eyelids up
through the final story.
Even when it is about frogs and monkeys.