MORNING VISITOR
disturbance from behind the blind/ & a shadow from outside
is cast upon the child/ the baby on the bunny rug crowned
with thick brown hair/ autumn auburn/ baby bubbling/ large
hazel eyes focus briefly on the shadow/ & turn away towards
the lightplay on the wall/ infant knowing/ striped light
falling across silken cheeks/ & tiny rosebud fists lifting
& dropping/ this is my bassinet/ my house/ dimpled thighs
kicking blue soft booties from wrinkled toes/ button pink
nose & eyes oogle/ head wobble, baby safe/ this is my place/
then a young mother enters the room/ she croons to the child
& opens the blinds to an unquiet day outside/ in an instant
the baby face screws up to cry/
young mother: hurry to shut
those blinds/ it is your adult daughter standing outside/
staring in at her baby self/ sad eyed for all the things
to come/ the future of myself locked behind the pane/ the
mother turns & leaves the infant in the room/ to fend off
its own dark fears/ in the shadow of the rattle, the bottle/
& ducklings marching on the cuff of the pillow/ in the
rainbow stitched bassinet/ i silently choke/ my adult face
screws up to cry/ now fading from outside the blind/ the
baby is a little older/ & in an instant i am no longer/
frost left on the window glass slides away/ like young
tears thawing in the early morning |
