JUST ONE LOOK

In a moment a child can communicate something specific and sometimes horrific with a single look, especially in relation to something he/she just learned about how the the body or world works. For example, the moment my son learned to be more careful when zipping up his pjs after taking off his pull-up - now that's a look I'll never forget! Today, I'm posting an old poem which includes another telling look.

Baby Lessons
J.B. Rowell

Laughter follows an uninhibited sneeze
hysterical cackling a chime
set in motion his eyes shine
a fart reverberates through his body
      startles
a look says, “Was that me?”

A tag on the blanket
something brand new a
discovery to be tasted and felt
      spit shine
the essential ingredient for exploring fingers.

Focusing on faces unabashedly
a squeal gets a counter
      look
if he could
he could write a book
on how to be happy.

1. look up on a walk
watch the dark and light
shimmer treetops make

2. don’t take yourself
or your body too seriously

3. fingers are fascinating
especially when wet

4. what really matters:
smiles, eye contact
being held but

      someday
too soon
he will think too much
be told too much
see too much
and what he learns will replace
the lessons he can teach.