She shrieks every time
like a little joy grenade
bringing the cup back to me
so I can fill it with water
and she can dump it
in the garden again
it’s a conversation
without words
making me feel
like I have won something
when she says wawa
and I guess right
I tell her to try
pouring water on other plants
she looks at me
for a long moment
then dumps it again
in the same spot
I watch amused
as the earth grows swampier
in that corner
I am calmed
by the simplicity
of her delight
and then she says
duh duh duh
so I remind her
that daddy is away
but she shakes her head
duh duh duh
so I point to the door
and then a dog in a book
and sweat a little
until I guess right
duck
when I bring it down
from the bathtub
she places it carefully
in that flooded puddle of soil
duh
she says with a huge smile
making my heart bruise
with the realization
that when I saw monotony
and called it sweet
she was actually building
her duck
a pool.