Baby

 Baby in a bassinet

Baby in a bassinet

Hardly two weeks old

Stretching out her little frame

Discovering her fingers. 

Five a.m. - the witching hour

Only baby and me

Watching ancient movies

Followed distractedly. 

The dogs are sleeping on the couch

Somehow conscious they must kept still

While baby makes her little sounds

Creates a little thrill. 

She’s battling the reflux

The acid in her tummy

When she cries all hands on deck

To help her sleep starved mummy. 

She will grow out of this

In weeks or months for sure,

In the meantime we treasure

The precious moments when she’s dozing. 

Every day a baby victory

After a traumatic delivery 

Everyone has rallied round

It’s when we value family. 

It takes a village to raise a child

We help out as best we can

Keeping vigil as we did before

Her mother in the eighties. 

The steps before the baby steps

When she lies so helpless 

The infant so dependent 

On her doting parents. 

The time will come when she in turn

Will care for her little bairn

Down from the attic will come the bassinet

And the cycle begins again.