My Last Babe

My last babe

With warm cheek and blistered lip

Ripe from suckling.

I hold you differently

As the blanket has tatooed your soft head

With dotty flannel quilt patches.

Gazing now at your rising infant chest

Breathing the soft, hiccuped gasps

Of the truly contented.

Never to feel so complete again,

I sigh sweet and bitter.

(Okay so this was a bit of a lie... It was written for Rocki shortly after her birth in 1995 - pictured above. My 3rd child under 6, I thought I was done having babies. As you can see from the picture below, we were not done experiencing the wonders of bringing "LIFE" into the world - thus the name of our 4th child - Zoe, pictured with her big sister Rocki.)