Slice of Childhood

I love innocence.
The way it sun jumps off my baby sister’s hair
Down to her smile.
It can make any test-filled day,
become a no homework afternoon.
The teeth coming in at random places
Piercing through her soft gums:
No wonder why she cries.
But as long as she is held in someone’s arms
Someone that she knows loves her
The pain is no longer there.

As she eats her purified green beans
And makes a mess on her high chair,
My new sweatshirt,
And Sarah’s cells phone;
My frustration starts to get heavier till I look at her face,
And see the green mudslide spurting out of her mouth
As she laughs at my red face.

She speaks in a language no one else knows
No, it’s not some ancient diction
Arabic or Celtic.
It is more specific to the simple-ness in life.
Enjoying a tasty block
Or an entertaining strand of dust.

We can only understand when she says da-da
Because she reaches for him at that moment.
As he walks out the door
To go to another night of work,
Tears fill her face
Only until
She sees her favorite person.

At only five years old,
He is already her protector.
The watchful eye when she slides out of sight.
The net around the bed
Making sure she does not fall.

She is surrounded by people who love and care for her.
Every one of them
Wanting for her to grow up
Learn to walk,
Talk,
Feed herself,
Bathe herself,
Until the age of seven when,
The children in my family,
Become self sufficient.
But me,
I love her,
Dirty diaper and all.