big trouble...

oh goodness
i think we might be in trouble
i think this face is going to get us

before you were born it was bad enough
walking into old navy
(or target or the gap)
all those dresses
& sweet little shirts
& perfect little jeans
& the shoes
i could write for days about the shoes
(& probably will later…)

but now this

the face
sweet little nose
perfect little lips
& the eyes

grandma ro has wondered out loud what you will be into
your brother
is all over matchbox cars
there are not enough matchbox cars
in the known universe for him
(& by the way they hide & multiply & then reappear in our house
I wouldn’t be surprised
if there is a yet to be discovered planet
just piled with matchbox cars)

of course a few things come to mind
my little ponies
polly pockets
barbies
(to the horror of grandmothers everywhere
who fought for the feminist movement)
& bratz
(to the horror of any mom
who doesn’t even want
their little girl to know
that halter tops & low-low rise jeans exist
much less on a doll)

personally I’m secretly
planning to get you into art supplies
first, of course, crayons
then play-doh
then paint
then the ‘make-your- kid-into-the-next-picasso’ art set
I’ll buy you
as many paint brushes as you can handle

but back to the trouble

the truth is with that little face
you’re going to be able
to get just about whatever you want
& when your brother teaches you
the thing that gets him
the legions of cars/trucks/vans/tractors
(“just look up at them sweetly & say ‘peas?’
even if you know how to say the L
DON’T
they fall for the peas every time”)
well, you’ll be the CEO of Toys R Us
by the time you’re 5

& I’ll be cheering you on
from the art section…