Something a little lighter for your Friday, yes?
A Fish Who Swims in Wine
And My Shadow Is Me
Were admittedly a little heavy
I love a good think piece
Something that digs deep
But I also can see
That it’s good to sprinkle in
Things that have a lighter energy
The world already weighs on us so much
Sometimes it’s like — enough
So let me share with you
Some of my joy
Which these days
Comes mostly in the form
Of a little girl and a little boy
My twins are two and a half
Their light bubbles over
In their giggles and laughs
It’s so wild to me
That I didn’t see myself mothering
Because now I can’t see
Myself existing without them
She’s loving and loud
A bossy little blonde
You might not expect
That big personality
From such a tiny tot
Though she is but a toddler
She knows who she is
And what she’s about
Winslow’s coming through
So you better watch out
He’s sweet and kind
A tender little guy
He’s so acutely in tune
With feelings and mood
He knows if you’re sad
And he knows what to do
He gives the best hugs
Sweet little kisses, too
Alder Bear is here
So your day just improved
As their mom, I try so hard
To soak up every last bit of them
Just as they are
But inevitably I will fail
For try as I might,
I simply cannot bottle up
All of their light
And my goodness,
They are filled with so much light
I keep journals of all their -isms
I’ve got ten thousand photos on my phone
I try to store in my brain
All the precious things they do and say
Because as we know so well
Babies don’t keep
And I’m learning that toddlers don’t either
I see their limbs lengthening out
And I wonder where my babies have gone
Replaced with these children
With big opinions and all
Ah! I said I’d keep it light, Yet here I go
Venturing again down this pensive road
I’ll tell some stories, tell you what they’re like
My sweet little babies
Best friends, except when they’re not
Like when they’re out for blood
Fighting over our little pink bike.
But when you ask Winslow,
“Who’s your best friend?”
She’ll say “Alder!” 9 times out of 10
They like to snuggle in the same chair
They both like pigtails in their hair
They look out for each other
Like when our dog knocked Alder over
Winslow frowns, says, “not nice, Ruby!”
When my daughter is sad,
My son takes notice
His concern for his sister
Breaks my heart into a million pieces
It’s hard to express
What their connection means to me
But maybe I can put it like this:
One day mama and daddy will be gone
And my babies will be grown
But if the universe is kind
They’ll never be alone
For they’ll have each other
Always to lean on
More than anyone else
My children know one another
Since they were in my womb
They’ve been together
Never have they known a day
When the other didn’t exist
And I pray, oh I pray
It will always be like this
Of course, I hope one day
They’ll grow up and away
Each finding their own life
In their own unique way
But a sibling connection
Is one that’s not easily broken.
Listen to the poem on the Makers, Dreamers, Doers Podcast.
—Morgan