Reassurance

“Can you lie down with me for a little while?”
He feels my presence on the bed, then
His small hand explors my face-
Seeking reassurance

The clock is too far away
Can’t tell the time with these old eyes
I listen to the tic, tic, tic
As the battery slowly dies

A squirrel chatters on a branch
An eighteen wheeler hums on the TCH
A sparrow is singing in the dusk –
Alex’s breath is steady in my ear

I watch his closing eyes
Study the lines of his innocent face
I’ll stay with him for a little while-
Seeking reassurance

John Munro