How I love the smell of your morning breath,
Dear boy, who I love more than myself,
Who I let into my bed at night,
Whose wakeful protector I have become.
___
How I love to hold this little body-
Your little body that holds
Creative and naughty mind,
And startling questions.
___
How I love you cuddled in my bed
Before the morning’s rise
Your smile wide, your shoulder’s soft
Your knees bent into my back.
—
I have missed you, my child.
You have been gone
but you have been on my mind—
With me,
These last two days.
How I love the smell of your morning breath upon my neck.