I can hear that you’re awake
and when I enter your room
you have your stuffed animals lined up
and you’re teaching them
about the sewer system
I put your sister down
and watch her rubbery arms
jab at the carpet
as she crawls
a wobbly but determined path
towards you
you tell her
she can sit
between rabbit and bear
did you know
you ask them
with a benevolent voice
that you reserve
for babies
and inanimate things
that when you flush your poo
it either gets run over
by the subway
or falls all the way down
to Mars.