Recently on Facebook I said, “After many years of collecting Christmas music, I finally downloaded Handel’s Messiah… and singing the Hallelujah Chorus chokes me up whether I’m in a church or the kitchen. I’m a big sap.” Here is the rest of the story. A Stafford poem

whether i am standing up front, clustered with the […]

Is there anything cuter than a four year old saying “Oh my dear gracious”?
I’ve whacked various toes on various tables and chairs three times in the last week. Hard.
Thankful for: a life well lived, however short; finally meeting the miracle toddler with his dimply grin and big round tummy; late nights with old friends; and […]

We woke up with the alarm clock this morning, not by human means.
This was a tremendous relief. We almost feel human.
R left early since the rest of us didn’t have to be anywhere quickly.
C walked to the bus stop with the rest of us tagging along.
J wants to be held while we wait and yells […]

I.
the boy
holds his mother’s hand
only when offered, yet
does so with gladness,
except in the street.
the hand, all dimpled knuckles,
is soft and insistent,
like a secret with five fingers.
II.
the little girl
yanks and jerks
forward, then backward,
pulling fingers until they crack,
not to be naughty, but all the better to
jump a crack, hop, spin into the grass, dance,
pull back, then launch […]

Reading my college alumni magazine and realizing that C is way closer to college than I am.
Must never, ever, ever sling J around again, no matter how much he giggles. But his laugh is like a drug! Unfortunately, my drug of choice at this point is an Ibuprofen.
is astounded at how much […]

I was very excited to get a poem yesterday from a friend of mine, who wrote about her boys in the same style as these simple verses I’ve been doing. It’s a nice way to get a snapshot in time! Try it!

You get out of bed in the morning with great purpose,
close the bedroom door […]

A Stafford poem in the vein of this one

Yeah, I got some ink. You wanna make somethin’ of it?
You still make sucking sounds when you sleep.
I know this because you like sleeping the final 30 minutes in our bed.
You ride a red tricycle at L’s house.
You walk it sitting down instead of pedaling, and can […]

This past summer I co-presided at a memorial service for a man whose young adult daughter read a long poem consisting of statements about her father. It was a fantastic litany of good and bad all jumbled together. This is in that vein, though today was mostly good.

You read with confidence now, and even when […]

this time, we found
just the right spot in the park:
a short walk to a “hidden playground”
a cathedral of trees, a path to the marina.
and we had
just the right snacks:
granola bars shoved into various pockets, doled out
as a distraction when playground time was over,
with no whines for water.
just the right temperature:
cool enough for jackets, warm enough […]

I’m way overdue for a nice newsy post. In the meantime, here is our crew on Halloween:

Our little witch with Word Girl and Captain Huggy Face.
For comparison: