Other People's Children

 

For the love of our friends, our sisters and brothers

we care for their children with tender delight.

We rough-house and tease them to giggle and grinning

we race them down hillsides and join in mock fights.

In the air, in our arms, twirling round and around

we laugh and we spin them back safely to ground.

We ruffle their hair, we laugh at their antics,

we take them along on our great-pretend frantic

adventure-explores through the wilds, hunting snakes

finding feathers and footprints, whatever it takes.

We are side-kicks and buddies, we put on a show, 

we keep all their secrets and then, when they slow,

we carry them home on our backs, or our fronts,

singing songs, telling stories that only we know

to their parents, who snuggle them close and then say,

"So what did you do, while you were away?"