A child sews buttons into my belly

Have the child come

And sooth my grumbling belly

And hold my fingers closely

While she closes my skin with brightly colored buttons

And though no weight of cardigans keep me warm

And I shiver in my bed, cold and lonely

A boy sits beside me, shy and eyes crinkling

Like the ancient silk of my dressing-gown

I will tell them, dear, no worry!

You have what they need but I will keep them off

With the stunning beauty of those fingertips

You brought lightly to your lips

I shall rest them upon the keys and I will bring them down

And the cat beside me shall lick the sweetness

That accompanies such delicate sounds

And she will stretch and purr and I shall love her

Though tell me, when will I see through the notes

That wallow in my eyesight and shed a tear or two?

Where the telephone shrieks and the canary sings

His songs of summer and, I admit, green tea

Is that where you’ll be, is that where I’ll find you?

The clouds move in at a quickening pace,

They’ve scored several rains and a lightning storm.

I say to one, Don’t forget the yard

Where my sunflowers grow dry and sun burnt

Bring the accordions in! We will dance

And tread our toes upon the floor like lions

Our soles pounding secrets into the ground

And our hearts beating with the speed of our feet.

The next morning I lie in my bed, cold once again

Until you curl up beside me. We dream in a sky of feathers,

A mattress of blue; And when I awake, my love

I am breathing in an oval that is your warmth…

And the child’s got a few more buttons to sew

Gradually and with care she uses only the best thread

And her immature hands pierce the needle delicately into my skin;

It doesn’t hurt, love, I promise you