The child has gotten into
the habit of asking
for a full account of
what happened each day
as part of the process
of getting ready for sleep
sometimes long after
sleep should have arrived
inevitably I revise myself
as I go through the morning
routine playtime lunch nap
walk playground neighbors
dinner sometimes bath
and the protracted lurching
towards something that
resembles bed readiness
tiny moments my mind
somehow recollects even
as I lull at least myself
to sleep with song
today for instance I forgot
to mention how we stopped
on the way out of the library
for a new slate of board books
to appreciate the statue of
a book emblazed with hearts
each one uniquely illustrated
with shapes she recognized
reviewing my camera roll
I wondered how I might have
recounted such a moment
that she should remember
the shape of books and hearts
finding their place within them
Joshua Keiter 