Bathtub Poem

Rolling across the floor, a small
red ball the size of a tennis
ball, coated with grape jelly marks
put there by the 2 year old who
sent it on its way, rolled right on
to my nice freshly scrubbed floor, but
thankfully did not land on my
freshly washed white rug! Now my 2
year old, coming round the corner,
his fingers covered with the strong
residue of grape jelly, peanut
butter, and bread holds what is left
of a peanut butter and
jelly sandwich, or is it something
else entirely? No, it’s surely
PB&J. He walks up to
me slowly stretching out his small
hands, reaching. Oh no, my little
sweetheart, my little monster covered
in goo, off to the bathtub with
this mess! I swept him up holding
him under his arms; my arms stretched
out as far as they cold go, briskly
walking into the bathroom where
the tub was waiting! I grabbed the
faucet and gave it a turn. Grabbing
the toy bag, Mr. Duck, with his
smooth bright yellow body, fell
right into the water giving
a tiny splash. My son, so
excited, crawled into his play
land, being careful not to slip.
Laughing, he squeezes the soap bottle
sending liquid into the water…
”Bubbles!” he cried. I washed him from
head to toe, scrubbing and rinsing
his tiny frame. Oh, much better
now! Yanking the towel from the
rack, my little boy, now soaked, chilled
and slippery, climbed into the
warm outstretched towel and smiled. I do
believe, at that very moment,
nestled tightly together, there
was no better place to be.