mom smells like milkies and earth
mom presses her lips against my head

over and over, she does

mom picks lint from my toes
mom smiles

over and over, she does

mom holds me all night long
mom says, “Shhhh.”

over and over, she does

mom watches me and remembers everything I do
mom tells her friends about me

over and over, she does

mom rocks me and sings sweet songs to me
mom sniffs at my hair and neck

over and over, she does

mom makes her face silly and chirps at me
mom makes me laugh

over and over, she does