in the book of children

 

I wish you music

I wish you suites of affection

a bold borscht recipe that soothes you

deep purple and a dollop of cream

I wish you merely mild

distaste for the sound of my eating

I hope your teeth don’t rot

as fast as mine and universal dental care

I wish you shirts

that smell the way i smell

nonetheless and extra buttons

in case and well worn hats

I wish you won’t have to buy a suit or wear one

unless you want to and you can wear the one

the only one i own it’s sky blue

italian from a thrift store in a music school

that closed during a pandemic

may you hardly know the word

and wear a dress or nothing if you like

thrift stores will survive i wish

you books and the prosperity of imagination

I wish you real friends in the world

language and languages and languagages

like love and romance and maths

if you want

a warm down sleeping bag

to sleep on a hill or not sleep

curious as a rolly polly

less skittish but still careful

reckless laughter

your mother’s hair

and my fingers