You too, my mother

You too, my mother
read my rhymes
for love of unforgotten times
And you may chance
to hear once more
The little feet along the floor

-Robert Louis Stevenson

Yeats - A Cradle Song

A Cradle Song	User Rating: 6.6 /10 (50 votes) Print friendly version E-mail this poem to e friend Send this poem as eCard Add this poem to MyPoemList
THE angels are stooping Above your bed; They weary of trooping With the whimpering dead. God's laughing in Heaven To see you so good; The Sailing Seven Are gay with His mood. I sigh that kiss you, For I must own That I shall miss you When you have grown.

April 17, 2011

Lindsay got to meet her cousin Sierra at Knotts Berry Farm today. Sierra is a very brave little girl - she went on the sidewinder roller coaster and loved it. Here is a picture of Lindsay on the Ferris Wheel. She was quite scared at first but she enjoyed it very much as the ride continued. She even put up her hands up at one point.

April 19, 2011

Lindsay read to me for an hour tonight after dinner. I was very tired so it was great to be able to cuddle with her with my eyes closed and think about what it must be like for her when I read to her. It's amazing to me that she can read so well now. I can't wait til we get to longer books and we can share some great journeys through literature together.

A Mother's Prayer for Her Daughter by Tina Fey

First, Lord: No tattoos. May neither Chinese symbol for truth nor Winnie-the-Pooh holding the FSU logo stain her tender haunches. May she be Beautiful but not Damaged, for it’s the Damage that draws the creepy soccer coach’s eye, not the Beauty. When the Crystal Meth is offered, May she remember the parents who cut her grapes in half And stick with Beer. Guide her, protect her when crossing the street, stepping onto boats, swimming in the ocean, swimming in pools, walking near pools, standing on the subway platform, crossing 86th Street, stepping off of boats, using mall restrooms, getting on and off escalators, driving on country roads while arguing, leaning on large windows, walking in parking lots, riding Ferris wheels, roller-coasters, log flumes, or anything called “Hell Drop,” “Tower of Torture,” or “The Death Spiral Rock ‘N Zero G Roll featuring Aerosmith,” and standing on any kind of balcony ever, anywhere, at any age.Lead her away from Acting but not all the way to Finance. Something where she can make her own hours but still feel intellectually fulfilled and get outside sometimes And not have to wear high heels. What would that be, Lord? Architecture? Midwifery? Golf course design? I’m asking You, because if I knew, I’d be doing it, Youdammit. May she play the Drums to the fiery rhythm of her Own Heart with the sinewy strength of her Own Arms, so she need Not Lie With Drummers. Grant her a Rough Patch from twelve to seventeen. Let her draw horses and be interested in Barbies for much too long, For childhood is short - a Tiger Flower blooming Magenta for one day - And adulthood is long and dry-humping in cars will wait. O Lord, break the Internet forever, That she may be spared the misspelled invective of her peers And the online marketing campaign for Rape Hostel V: Girls Just Wanna Get Stabbed. And when she one day turns on me and calls me a Bitch in front of Hollister, Give me the strength, Lord, to yank her directly into a cab in front of her friends, For I will not have that Shit. I will not have it.And should she choose to be a Mother one day, be my eyes, Lord, that I may see her, lying on a blanket on the floor at 4:50 A.M., all-at-once exhausted, bored, and in love with the little creature whose poop is leaking up its back. “My mother did this for me once,” she will realize as she cleans feces off her baby’s neck. “My mother did this for me.” And the delayed gratitude will wash over her as it does each generation and she will make a Mental Note to call me. And she will forget. But I’ll know, because I peeped it with Your God eyes.

Amen.

April 13, 2011

The La Canada Library had an animal show today. Lindsay got to see an African Giant Millipede, an African Hissing Cockroach, a Servyl, an African Pygmy Hendghog, a huge porcupine, and a boa constrictor.

Gardening

Today, we went and bought lots of plants for our garden: 5 tomatoes, two peppers, a tomatillo and an eggplant. We went outside so we could start planting, and Lindsay surprised me by tearing out most of the old tomatoes by herself, AND digging the new holes and planting all the new plants. She was such a big help and very proud of herself.

She also has a funny new saying: what's up? Chickenbutt!