from downstairs -- from underneath --
the pitter-patter of little feet sounds like
a herd of elephants. they gallop
even at 7 in the morning,
from bedroom to bathroom
from to hallway to kitchen. how can
half-sized people
make so much noise?
I turn on shhhhhh like a cold-water hose all over their antics but giggles seep between the cracks of their clamped lips. I'm sorry that I'm such a wet blanket, I want to tell them. I haven't had my coffee, I want to explain. I'm not quite ready for the day to begin.
The baby is still asleep. It's all I can say.
