smiles, snug in his infant seat.
Okay, then. We won’t be long.
She goes to the foot of the stairs.
Jake! Come on! Leigh’s waiting
for us at the airport.
Mom and Jake Leave
I gentle the big quilt
from its place of honor
on the living room couch,
shake it onto the floor
beneath the big picture
windows, marveling
for about the thousandth
time at the patience Mom
must have had to patch
the pieces all together.
Then I go get Hunter,
lay him in the center
of the colorful fabric
potpourri, lie down
next to him, and marvel
for about the millionth
time at how stunningly
handsome he is. Pride
inflates inside me, before
segueing to massive guilt.
I feel spectacular. I feel
shitty. I feel on top of
the world. I feel like I’m
on my way to hell. The