Jenny and Tanya

My world is full of laugh and children

playing mocking games and holding hands to cross the street. 

They raise the level to flood

my river of pain and pleasure flowing freely northward.

  Peterson’s Swing for Tanya

              At the top of her swing,

                           for as long as she hangs there,

                                                             our time

                                                                  and her laughter

                                                                                      will stay.

                                                                             As quickly

                                                                 the swing

                                   slides away from the top,

                                        our time

                  and her laughter

              are gone.

Sweet-sad, swinging senses, serene in our joy.

Three-year-old

The party has only just begun

  for Tanya, for us because of her,

and through her for us again when it’s time.

But now it’s her celebration of life that promises.

Bailey's Hannah

His little sister loves him

As ferociously as she will

when she’s older and understands it better,

but now she’s angry

because he, as firstborn,

claims the attention that should be hers.

She’s angry and jealous and envious

And full of unbearable frustration.

So she fusses and whines

For her share in the light of her daddy’s eyes

Until her mama enfolds her

And soothes her napless angst

Into the car seat for home

From Thanksgiving

With too many relatives.

BACK

Father-daughter Banquet

She laughs while I weep.

She gathers twigs and rocks and some-chewed gum

while I watch her grow and wish she wouldn’t. 

Her smiles and her joy, oblivious to my tears,

bring us closer than close is,

as still we grow further apart, until death, maybe. 

Tanya and I have this relationship.

Visit

Today in Dexter we sat upon a bench.

I drank a cup of coffee and Tanya left her milk.

We also went to Mayo and saw no doctors there,

but talked about some carvings and parked up on the top.

Tanya left ‘em smiling, as she always does,

and then she lay asleep against my thigh,

thru rain and home again.

Pre-school Screening

Relinquish your child.

Serve her up on our plate.

We’re looking for dummies,

kindergarten’s too late.

We have magical games

to show us the way

to find if she’s ready

for our games to play.

Tanya

The only chance I’ll have

to wait for her is now

while she’s six and still comes home at noon.

The late October sun,

and seeing her two blocks off,

warm me to the high end of the comfort range.