Well, ok, maybe top twenty…
Such Small Things
For a long time there were only your footprints & laughter in our dreams & even from such small things, we knew we could not wait to love you forever.
Side by Side
We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together.
Real Hero (masc)
Anyone can slay a dragon, he told me, but try waking up every morning & loving the world all over again. That’s what takes a real hero.
Real Reason
There are things you do because they feel right & they may make no sense & they may make no money & it may be the real reason we are here: to love each other & to eat each other’s cooking & say it was good.
Quiet Pride (daughter)
There has never been a day when I have not been proud of you, I said to my daughter, though some days I’m louder about other stuff so it’s easy to miss that.
One Child
I hope it will be said we taught them to stand tall & proud, even in the face of history & the future was made new & whole for us all, one child at a time.
One of Us
Someday, the light will shine like a sun through my skin & they will say, What have you done with your life? & though there are many moments I think I will remember, in the end, I will be proud to say, I was one of us.
No Regret
I sometimes wake in the early morning
& listen to the soft breathing
of my children & I think to myself,
this is one thing I will never regret
& I carry that quiet with me all day long.
No Words
I read once that the
ancient Egyptians had
fifty words for sand
& the Inuit had a
hundred words for snow.
I wish I had
a thousand words
for love,
but all that comes
to mind is the way
you move against me
while you sleep
& there are
no words for that.
Living Memory
I carry you with me into the world,
into the smell of rain
& the words that dance between people
& for me, it will always be this way,
walking in the light,
remembering being alive together
Laughter & Noise
There are lives I can imagine without children but none of them have the same laughter & noise.
Kindred Spirits
You’re the strangest person I ever met, she said & I said you too & we decided we’d know each other a long time.
Illusion of Control
If you hold on to the handle, she said, it’s easier to maintain the illusion of control. But it’s more fun if you just let the wind carry you.
His Laughter
The first time his laughter
unfurled its wings in the wind,
we knew that the world
would never be the same.
Her Laughter
The first time her laughter unfurled its wings in the wind, we knew that the world would never be the same.
Falling Into Place
deciding everything is falling into place perfectly as long as you don’t get too picky about what you mean by place. Or perfectly.
Deep Roots
When I die, she said, I’m coming back as a tree with deep roots & I’ll wave my leaves at the children every morning on their way to school & whisper tree songs at night in their dreams. Trees with deep roots know about the things children need.
Connection (feminine)
there came a moment in the middle of the song
when she suddenly felt every heartbeat in the room
& after that she never forgot she was part
of something much bigger
Before Dawn
I’ve always liked the time before dawn because there’s no one around to remind me who I’m supposed to be, so it’s easier to remember who I am
Angels of Mercy
Most people don’t know there are angels whose only job is to make sure you don’t get too comfortable & fall asleep & miss your life.