To be a mother of small children
You must pay attention
I do not mean when you feel like it
I mean every single moment
Quite seriously
It is life or death
(Just now in writing this down
My daughter wandered into the yard
Where I know
A wasp nest awaits –
But before she reaches it
Before I reach her
She bends to examine
The most tender blade of grass
And holds it out to me like
A miracle
And it is)
Where was I?
Let me begin again –
This, too, is how it goes –
Being a mother of small children
Has made me realize
What has always been true:
You must pay attention
This is life.
