December 26, 2019

I know
Your presents
Under our Charlie Brown
Faux Christmas tree were few
Compared to the others
Who show up five minutes
Early every day
To gather in the school hallway
Sipping their Starbucks
And talking of all the
Wonderful things they get to do
And have handed to them
By parents who are better
At being adults than yours are
But one day
I hope you wake
At dawn
On Yule
And realize
All that has been sacrificed
For you
No, we are not afforded the luxuries
Of spending five dollars
Each day on decaf sugar
That overstimulates your system
At the detriment of your
Teacher’s patience
But you have never been
Left
To be cared for
By another’s hand
Who may not know you
Who may not love you
As fully as your father and I can
And one day
I hope you’ll see that the clothes
Of your sister
That make up your wardrobe
Are a gift
Pre-loved
And pre-worn
Worn in
To fit your skin
With love
And envelope you as you grow
Not a fashion statement
But a loud, clear
Scream
Of our love for you
I hope you wake
To find
The love present
In every moment
You’re not alone
Not a latch-key kid
Fending for themselves
Not a connoisseur
Of Mac n cheese or ramen
But one that has been fed
By the best of chefs
A Michelin father
Whose love is poured out
In every morsel
You ingest
Made from the barest of cupboards
I hope you wake to find
Despite the leanness
Of ingredients
That your childhood
Was prepared
From a stock of mish-mash
Of what was available
Yet invoked from a place of magic
And creativity
The magic of making do
With what was available
And I hope you wake
One Yule morning
To find that you
Yourself are full
A whole person
Filled with love
Because of what
We, two
Have sacrificed
For you.
And I hope
That you
Then continue
That loving and giving spirit
Unto the wider world
Around you
Because it’s all for you