Tag Archives: nephews

spring

my boys keep changing with the seasons
one has a new voice, barely a month old
that rumbles like slow rolling thunder
and still takes us all by surprise
and his brother has wispy whiskers
sprouting proudly upon his chin
like weeds after scattered showers

valentine

my valentine is coming
to town tomorrow night

i might give him a card
or even bake him a cake

definitely hug him and kiss
his no-longer-boyish face

and wish him a happy
happy sixteenth birthday

black friday steal

we stayed up until two
while the family slept
the deep sleep of satiation
thanks to discounted turkey
and cheesy casseroles
prepared but once a year

we covered a lot of ground
my nephew and i
though this was our first year
working together and
strategizing for success

we scored a rare uninterrupted
rambling conversation about
school and family and politics
and money and life and love
and more all in exchange for
only three hours of lost sleep

sprouts

it wasn’t long ago
i was picking him up
to hug him hello

and only yesterday
i was leaning in
to kiss him goodbye

now he is the one
bending at the waist
to greet me

but no matter
how tall he gets
he better not
try to lift me

complex

i’m glad he’s comfortable
asking me questions
that i can’t answer
gives us a chance
to spend time together
talk things out
reason our way through
all that’s definite and possible

like his algebra homework
on complex numbers
where there are real parts
numbers we’re used to seeing
and imaginary parts
that i needing to be worked out

i can’t just plug his parents
into a formula and get
him answers that way
but now’s as good a time
as any for him to learn
that some relationship problems
like some equations
have no real solutions

but sometimes answers
can be found if we’re willing
to deal with a little complexity
and utilize our imaginations