a poem for nighttime - July 31, 2005—
Larissa wrote about poems tonight, and I was inspired.
- poem for everett, nighttime
his daddy brought him home to me,
late, and sleeping
he was so tired, his eyelids didn't flutter
when I unbuckled his seatbelt
lifted him, carried him inside
as I climbed the stairs, the weight of him
--40 pounds of muscle, sun-browned skin, a thousand owies--
felt so substantial, so real, so there
he seemed almost adult
I laid him down on his mattress on the floor,
scooping aside trains and books and a racket, and forgot
that I was angry earlier,
because he defied me, because
he was SO BAD, made me shout and clench my fists
I think, 'I hope he sleeps all night' and
'I hope it's not too hot' and
I remember how he shimmies up against me,
in the nighttime,
when he climbs into my bed
and I can't wait for tomorrow
tomorrow, we'll run
eat bagels with butter
smile, jump, sing, struggle
again
