(escapril, day 8: a love poem)

I like the way you let her shine.

She’s queen of the castle when you get home.

You let her sit on your lap, grab your sleeves, pat your cheeks with her grubby little hands,

She smiles, showing off the crowning achievement, a tiny nub of a tooth.

I’ve no idea what kind of person this unmarked little creature will end up being.

Right now, though, she’s so beautiful I could burst.

Rosebud lips and button nose and baby blue eyes and curls, a real life doll.

A heavy weight on my hip when she gets sleepy, head nodding towards exhaustion on my chest, drool lazily sliding out of her mouth and down my clavicle.

Tell her she’s the apple of your eye, your princess,

Let the day shift off you, hide the yawns,

Bounce her on your knee, toss her up towards the ceiling, tickle her soft sides,

Make her yield up that thick and gummy smile.

You make her laugh, and for that, I love you.