Tantrum
a poem about my son
You’ve always been a pretty even-tempered child.
Very curious about the world.
An observer,
first.
But lately I have started to see
your adventurous
hold-me-upside-down-until-I-turn-blue
side.
And your silly
come-here-so-I-can-blow-raspberries-on-you
side.
And today, you unleashed your
I-have-an-opinion
side.
And this side comes with another new sound.
The angry, flailing, yelling
sound.
It’s the
I-know-what-I-want-and-I’m-not-getting-it
sound.
It’s accompanied by wild limbs
and that full body wiggle that makes you hard to pick up.
It’s different than the
ouch-that-hurt,
mommy-don’t-go,
and I’m-so-tired
sounds.
This one is distinct.
Like a vision of your toddlerhood come early.
I think today
marks your very
first
tantrum.
Words 11 months postpartum
Photo 15 months postpartum
