My son gives me six leaves
in shapes of hearts
and my daughter
says I love you
which also sounds like how
she says helicopter
so I take it
as a compliment
I do hot lunch today
cooking noodles at the daycare
one girl asks for thirds
and I want to kiss her
and here
this table and I pause
and make a poem
this is it
the quiet fullness
of arriving
at the middle of life
nobody pushing me forward
nothing pulling me down
happiness
hatching
in the cracks
I am still ripe
but in no hurry
a little bit braver today
to see what my tongue says
and not paint over
the words
when they land.