He seems to wear
a luminosity of his own
or is it the yellow
sunlight slicing the
room like a triangle
through half-opened door?
Watching his lit-up face
his closed afternoon nap-eyes
I lose track of time
don’t know how long
I stand and watch him
My eyes open wider
the whole room
gleams yellow gold
outside, I hear cats meowing
crickets rasping
quick feet of neighborhood
kids jumping Double Dutch
in narrow alley
wild giggles play intricate duet
with rhythmic rhymes woven
like a 2-part Bach Invention
He opens one then the other
His eyes fill with delight
wrinkles drawn around them
smiles his steadfast half-moon grin
his declaration of love
It seems that no time has passed
It seems I have not released
the full-held breath I took
when the sunlight laced through
the half-open door
illumining his haloed sleeping face
