BOY

BOY

kiss his little kiss-curl your lovely baby boy

kiss along his little hand upon his little toy

kiss away his tears when it fell off

and wouldn’t go no more

look mum 

said his wide sad eyes

kiss away the sadness with

a bright new toy 

for your boy’s big beaming smile

then kiss away his bemusement

when she bit him by the beads 

in the nursery and pushed him away

and kiss his friends 

with jelly and ice cream 

and tuck him into bed 

after he has fallen to sleep

kiss away his bloody knees and

fears in his tears 

and plaster the disaster 

before he runs back out to play

on the day he went 

that bit further away 

and came home so very late

quick 

kiss away your tears before

he sees the pain that he can cause

because there’s plenty of time in childhood

before that clause is drawn

then kiss way his dejection when

his girlfriend has another 

and then another girlfriend 

presents another tear 

for you to kiss away 

and you have to explain

that you too have been that way

kiss away the tears of laughter

when you share a precious joke

while you are still together

and not yet looking back 

then kiss away his growing pains

as you grow a little more apart

when his friends 

the boys and girls

has him cruelly say

you don’t understand 

and those tears of frustration 

you must not kiss away 

upon the day he stood alone

looking darkly back

yet you will still kiss away 

with careful words

the snares upon his track towards

independence 

that will never be total 

for you are always there 

at home 

for

when the big girl troubles really hurt

he’ll sort of beg you to kiss away

his pain 

and then run from you again 

denying he ever did

that it’s all

water under the bridge

standing tall upon your kisses

with the hint of a hint of a hint

of a tear in his eye and

he has no idea why

then you will kiss 

in a far away way

saying yes I am ok

when all the while his happiness 

with his princess will take him

further and further away

until finally he is gone

with a bag of your secret tears 

stored well away 

for him to draw upon

on a far away rainy day

and he has one special tear for you

kept deep within his heart

he’ll not need to call upon that

until you finally depart

and the big little boy

will drop that in your grave

and kiss away the tears

of his own little boy

who asked 

why did nanna 

have to go away

Jim Young