Tucked
TUCKED
It’s the simple act of pulling
off the old sheets, gently piling
the stuffed animals, digging under
the mattress for lost souls
and then the flap of fresh
linen, the snap of the clean
sheet pull over my daughter’s
bed. The careful placement of each
critter and my old bear
Rat that she inherited a gift
from me to my daughter which was
a gift from my dad to me. The fluffing
of pillows, the direct centering
of the very long rainbow wiener
dog pillow that says “I love you
this much” that I bought for my
daughter on the eve of her
adolescence, and me telling my kid
who is on the sofa in the other room
“I put clean sheets on your bed. It’s all
magical and comfy now.” And the simple
soft spoken “Thank you Mom.” It’s all of it
that breathes life into this home. As if
clouds are billowing through our hearts and
above our beds, white and full of magic
and a little sparkle of the ocean that runs
in our hearts tucked safely in each corner.