An hour in the life of my 13-month-old grand baby this afternoon–
If I Could Talk More
I’d tell you that, yes,
I do want to play ball, and
after that, I want to drop the toy
forks and knives into the narrow slots
on the kitchen set and then I want to throw
balls out of the ball pit. Pick me up now, please,
and take me outside on the swing and don’t
forget to let me scratch off the lichen
from the patio light fixture. I won’t
eat it this time. Then I’d like
to crawl around your bed
again and laugh as
you try to keep me from
going too close to the edge.
Do you want to see how fast I can
crawl? You know, sneezes are about the
funniest thing I ever heard, whether it’s me,
you, or my parents sneezing. What is that funny
noise? I don’t eat that stuff anymore. Now I
just like to eat fruit. I want to listen to
that book you are reading, but I’d rather
move during story time. I like those
times before bedtime when I drink
milk from a bottle. It reminds
me of when I was a baby.
I might be getting
sleepy, Grammy.
Denise,
I love this imagining and interpretation of Milo’s communication. You and I are having the same grandson experiences. My daughter-in-law sent me a couple videos of Ezra today. He was trying to life a huge package of water, climbed onto the bottom step and jabbered away about how he was going to get down. His hands made all kinds of gestures as he laughed and played. Melts my heart the way Milo melts your heart.
That final photo, those chubby limbs, toes twinkling in Grammy’s ever-open lap does this wonderful poem justice—and Milo, too! I love the shape of this poem, shape matters, and these lines especially: “and don’t/forget to let me scratch off the lichen/from the patio light fixture. I won’t/eat it this time.” Thanks for the laugh. I can both see and hear him, his head turned as he looks up at you, his plump little fingers at work. Enjoy this fleeting time.
Beautiful and I remember our grandchildren at that age. The photo is beautiful.
This is so precious, Denise. The photo of the little hand and your hand with a book is a treasure. It sounds like your little one is energetic and pleasantly -dispositioned. I love hearing babies laugh with their whole hearts when they get tickled at things like sneezes or Peek a Boos. This is a piece of writing he will cherish when he is older.