Seeds of Honesty
A bowl of kitchen nic-nacs, an arrangement
of dried flowers, a sink of messy dishes
and a child on the floor behind me, scrabbling
around in the plastics of the bottom drawer.
Hoisting himself up to the top drawer,
he reaches a knife, that shining weapon
his parents wield so fearlessly.
A triumph - he has Excalibur in hand.
I hesitate, but he turns up a face
delicate and brittle like the seeds of ‘honesty’
in great transparent rounds of thinnest fibre,
an open disc to read a fragile soul.
I say ta and he hands it over like a treasure
then quickly grabs another. Soon I have a fistful
of knives and forks. I must end this daring game
because he can’t, but seems to know his flight
has reached its peak and, content
kneels down to his plastic bits.
I rearrange the vase of ‘honesty’.
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost over in my part of the world – six long weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by hot, lazy days at the beach or the pool with lots of daring exploits and laughter. Many of our days were spent at home, basking in simple pleasures like baking, playing games or outdoor pursuits – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. However pleasant, I must admit to being relieved that life gets back to normal next week, and I can reclaim some of my own time for writing again!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007