i still haven’t gone climbing
but i imagine that two year old
was doing some things right

gripping tight with fleshy fingers
and digging those toddler toes
into spaces that would hold
her weight and allow her
to push with her legs

i’ve got a sore belly button
strands of hair lost
and a dirtier mouth
that says that girl
is on her way

i could ask
for no better champion
of how to say my name
than an adamant two-year-old
annoyed by her older sister’s
mispronouncing antics

i could ask
for none cuter