Between Bruises and Blooms

The night
has its own way
of passing the torch.

One pair of eyes
finally closes.

Another
opens.

As if my daughters
have signed
an invisible agreement
never to leave me
alone for too long.

Gabby yawns,
content with the chaos
she created.

Then—

A tiny voice.

Tiny hands
reaching through the crib.

Izzy,
with sleep still tangled
in her hair,
looks at me
like she’s surprised
I never left.

So I scoop her up.

Now I have
one sleepy girl
on each side of me.

One warm forehead
against my shoulder.

One little hand
wrapped around my finger.

The clock insists
it’s the middle of the night.

My body agrees.

But my heart…

My heart knows
these are the hours
that disappear first.

One day,
they’ll sleep through the night.

One day,
they won’t need me
to rock them back to dreams.

Tonight, though,

I’m the whole world
to two little girls

who have no idea

they’ve already become
mine.