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Baby Boy
Right now the side of his face rests against my belly, skin to skin, his warmth magnified by mine. It is a wonder, an absolute awe-filled thing, that just days ago he was on the other side of me, tucked away and unseeable, a secret. Elliot. Elliot with the head full of hair. Elliot with the fifty-eight eyelashes. Elliot with the rounded nose that dips into rounded cheeks that slope to the tiny chin that quivers when he cries, lifts when he smiles in his sleep. A landscape. Elliot. Tiny boy so like and unlike all the other boys who have been born before. So like and unlike whatever small person I imagined my own son to be. Perfection is a rare if not impossible thing, but how could he not be, right now, so young, so soft, exactly as he is here, breathing in and out, making the sounds that all mothers and fathers know as first-speak. Secrets. He is revealing them to me, unspooling them by the minute, by the number of his sighs, and they tangle around my legs and body until I am war
Sliding Doors: One Last Glance Toward Europe
We entered the Tube around 9:00 in the morning, a mass of noisy students and a few adults, taking up a section of platform. We had told the teens: "We'll start you on your journey, but you'll have to find your way back. Pay attention." The anxious ones stayed near us, the eager ones studied the green and red and blue and yellow lines on the wall map. "We'll need the Circle Line," one said, and after nodding, we passed the phrase among us like bread, or sweets, so when the train arrived, and the sliding doors opened, we all walked through them with enough nourishment and energy to know where we were going . Later, we stepped out of trams into the high Swiss landscape at Pfingstegg Station. After London, most of the kids didn't even look at the trail map. They just started up. One foot in front of the other, one sore-muscled groan after the other, a collection of revelations. We walked under rock ledges and over small streams. We talked abo
The last photo is perfect for this Valentine's Day. It's just delightful. I hope all's well in your world, and that your family is thriving. It's always nice to see a post from you. I'd wish for more, but there's no doubt you're one busy woman! Happy spring -- soon, soon.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. That last photo is of my son and his cousin. Valentine's Day is for love in all its varieties, isn't it? And yes: busy woman! I'm trying to tie up a hundred loose ends before this new baby arrives in April, while also remaining present and appreciative of these last months before what will undoubtedly be a startling yet sweet change. Best to you. More soon (eventually, anyway).
DeleteEmily:
ReplyDeleteA famous writer at a famous destination. There certainly IS a lot to love about the world. We need only to look about. As Mary Oliver would say:
"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."
We miss you and your warm, insightful words.
~ Richard
Thank you, Sir Richard. Mary Oliver is always a favorite. I bring her with me--as well as the wise words of many others--whenever I can.
DeleteHope you've had and continue to have a kind winter. Spring is on its way.