Of Poetry and Three-year-olds

Of Poetry and Three-year-olds


Have to write a poem
but my brain hurts. In fact,
all of me hurts.
Three-year-olds weigh
much more
than they used to.

Most of my brain
is listening to hear
if the great-grandson is awake yet.
According to 'Mom', he'll sleep
until 8.

Except, like Hoyle, and Murphy,
nothing has gone 'according to Mom.'

Have I grown so old
that memory is faulty?
I do not remember
my kids ever being
so 'temper-tantrum-y,'
but that was then
and this is the new age
of reasoning with a child
who hasn't reached the age
of reason to begin with.

1. No. You may not throw
anything inside. Throwing stuff is outside stuff.
2. When it is cold enough to snow,
you must wear a jacket and have shoes on.
3. No. You may not write on walls, doors,
yourself, floors, or ceilings. With ANYthing.
4. Water stays inside the tub.
5 Grams doesn't like being bitten, kicked, scratched, or hit.
6. Temper tantrums: see rule number 1.

6:34 and he's up, and full of
good morning smiles.
Poems are silenced
by nursery rhymes.