To My Babe

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To My Babe

by Barbara
(FL)

In the soft glow of the night-light,
your lashes rest on your cheek in sleep
your lips pout, suckle and smile,
I ask myself, how did I come under your spell
so quickly,
becoming a gooey mass of sentiment,
and seconds later, a panic-stricken mess
as your breathing gets so shallow,
I must lean in to hear it,
wavering between panic and fainting,
before your sudden sharp startle,
scares us both?

My baby, like a chick in a nest of calm,
the feathery tuft of the silk of your head
lifts on a breath as I slide my finger
into your palm
feeling the baby soft suppleness
that says, pure, perfect, new
like nothing else,

Resting it in its original position,
you sigh, a shuddery exhalation,
followed by an indelicate release
that tilts your mouth into a half-smile,
gurgle-coo, that has me holding
back my laughter,

Awestruck,
by the serenity of your face, the delicate
pulsation at the center at the top of your head
the obvious proof heart and mind are connected
at least at the time of birth...

only turning hard as we turn the corner
into later childhood, getting denser the older we get_
the way I've heard,
the toughest in the teen years--
a bridge, we'll cross together,
when the time comes,

Clutching at my heart, rescuing the flush
of embarrassment,
I accept as hormonal, I brush quick tears
from my face, rubbing the two indentations
that I have acquired, resting my forehead
against the crib bars, for so long,

I lean back in my rocker and close my eyes,
try as I might
I cannot, keep them closed
my heart, when I look at you, so full of love
my endorphins must be in overdrive,

When I open them again.
I am startled at the depth of your eyes,
as if their reach
is deeper than life__

they pluck at my heart-strings

I watch as you, lay quietly, so fresh
and innocent--
that I am nearly undone,
made giddy by your very existence...

Comments for
To My Babe

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Wiping tears
by: Maureen

This one made me tear-up; haven't done that in a long while.

Sleepless Too
by: Chrissy

Newborns, are special and scary!

uh-hum
by: Karen

My son is just hit his teens and I still have crib-bar marks on my head!

ALL HEART
by: Bonnie

I know every word is true for me, too!

My Babes
by: Husband

I don't think my wife slept until the kids were walking, she was so concerned about SIDS. She still loses sleep but for different reasons!

HOW TRUE! So many of us share the marks of a new parent!
by: Betty

The mother of the writer, a bit prejudiced and rightly so!

Beautiful!
by: Annie Desantis

Wow!!

That pretty much sums it up! That incredible falling in love with a new baby is one of life's most intense experiences.

Thank you so much for such a beautiful poem,

Annie D :)

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