Lullabies

Never have my days
been suspended
as they are
watching clouds drift
past our window
and the old dogwood
quietly unfurl her leaves
since your tiny weight
came to rest
against my side.

Sometimes I tie you
to my body
like the inseparable
packages we are
and go about
the daily rituals of
laundry, sorting mail,
returning phone calls.

But today I lie
with you in my arms
lips tugging rhythmically
at my breast
your small hand
holding my shirt
as I retrieve lullabies
from the dusty shelves
of my mind.