On this day, I have a five year old;
My hands find his legs are slimmed
without that toddler squeeze,
I can still lift him, hold him
but not for so long –
On this day, I have a five year old;
No baby to lie with, face to face,
eye to eye
with each other on our long nights
On this day, I have five
minutes until his friends arrive
to run and jump into what comes next,
Then he will blow out candles,
exhausted by being five
And cards with dinosaurs and rockets
and ice-creams and numbers
will parade along the mantelpiece
leading us to bedtime
when he will still hold my hand
and wait for me to sing
at the end of this day,
when he was first five.

Amy B. Moreno