Elbows and Knees

You're all elbows and knees.
That's what your dad says as you lay, splayed out on our bed.
I think he gets the worst of it.
Your head is always burrowed into me, but dad?
He gets the knees and feet.
In the still darkness of my room,
you have shared with me your fears and thoughts.
I can't see you, but I hear your sweet voice,
it fills the darkness like a candle,
bouncing light all around me.
Talking in the dark,
you tell me that you feel safe with me.
And the truth is,
I feel safe with you too.
There's a joy in being wanted.
It feels like motherhood job security,
that you still want me around.
And in the dark,
in the stillness of your witching hour,
your dad gets the elbows and knees,
and I get your heart.

You Make Me Brave

Hi there little soldier,
walking bravely up the sidewalk,
of a school that holds no promises of an easy day.
Trouble with friends,
struggles with subtraction,
tiny setbacks your heart doesn't know how to solve for yet.

Hi there fearless leader,
holding your baby brother's hands,
giving him the kindest face to look up to.
Playing cars,
rolling him balls,
tiny moments that show the wide expanse of your heart.

Hi there curious cat,
eyebrows furrowed as you ask questions,
while an electric current of synapses spark in your brain.
You give as much as you get,
sharing all your knowledge with me,
lighting up when you teach me something new.

Hi there gentle soul,
your empathetic heart,
held firmly on your sleeve.
In a world that will tell you
to toughen up, man up, buck up,
your kind heart is an act of highest bravery.

Hi there sweetest teacher,
making me braver,
and more grounded in this world.
Let's stand together, you and me,
holding hands in wonder,
at that magic that is life.

Happy 8th birthday Jack xo.