Much is written
about how parents
love their kids.
But this is a poem
about how it feels
to be loved back.
To have them run at you
as though they have been
electrocuted with joy
the moment they see you.
To have them wrap around you
like a koala,
and you are as strong
as their tree.
To have them want time with you
even if you are just going
for a pee.
And the other day,
how she missed her dad so much,
even though he was only gone for one night,
that she slept in his shirt
and tucked her stuffed pig
into one of his socks.
“I miss Daddy,” she cried,
and I held her,
partly to soothe her,
partly to press the memory
into my heart
of this time
when their world
was still small
and we held the code
to so much joy.