Today is the final day he is almost nine.
As I worried he might,
he holds my hand less often.
The world pushes in on us;
the spaces in which we can hide —
just the two of us —
are more difficult to find,
simpler to disrupt.
Yet on this day,
his brother and sister
already gone from the table,
he pauses at my shoulder.
Even as I pull him onto my lap,
I expect him to continue on
to his book or simply something else;
but he sits
and softens.
Later, in the quiet of a too-late night
my wife whispers to me,
you should have seen his face.
—
Newest poem in the Years series.
So, so beautiful …. I read this piece to my husband and he loved it too. Our boys are only 3 and 5 but we already see these days coming ….
Wow. This one really grabs the heart. I’d love to have some of those days back to relive.
Beautiful and moving…
Your devotion and attention, not only to the life around you, but to your writing as well, are very evident here.
He will always have time to be quiet with you, his and your soul are linked.
“but he sits
and softens.”
A magic moment, vividly captured. No. Not captured. Portrayed and set free. That softness is everything.
Too true, Johnny, the softness is everything. And it is difficult not to want to capture… Thank you, friend, as always for your visit. Be well~
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Those are magical moments. I see that they are recognized and treasured.
Indeed. The trick is to do so while not holding on too tightly. Difficult.
I am so glad I found this blog.
I am so glad you did as well… Blessings~
Lovely.
Thank you so much for saying so and for visiting. Be well~
It is amazing, the persistence of change. Each of us are always growing, thinking or planning, moving ahead or remaining in place. No matter the stance we take, no matter our resistance or our surrender, life ushers us through shifting perspectives and perceptions, and even in our closest relationships it is almost as if they must be reinvented with each encounter. As if it is never the same two persons meeting…
Michael
Thank you, Michael. And we desperately want to be, cling to being, the same two persons. We invite in our suffering when we do, and yet perhaps we have no choice… Be well~