For the first time in my life
I felt the
Pitter Patter
of tiny hopes
in the form
of a smooth
brown hand
Soft.
Like a freshly baked scone
also warm to the touch.
I sat with the child
while he read to me
as he did,
his stubby fingers brushed against mine
half-clenched over the jagged edges of
his faded purchase
half-holding onto me
for approval.
With that touch
arrived the
Pitter Patter
as I began to need
like the wanted monsoon
after an early hosepipe ban,
his hand felt welcome on mine:
a stigmata of friendship
a sign of my peace.
The want for me
to love something bigger than myself
came in the form
of a stranger’s boy
watching me serenely in the library
as I listened
to hear him read.
