So...Big Blankie

Big Blankie

I lay down beside you
for your afternoon nap.
It's the only way you will stay
in your bed.
It's a bad habit I want to keep
because soon you'll grown up
and won't need me
to sleep.
I tuck you in.
First, your little blankie
with butterflies.
Then your big blankie.
You ask for your "M"
and giggle when I find it.

I lay down beside you.
I watch you drink your milk
and fight your tired eyes
that roll back behind
your extra long blinks.
I scratch your tummy
like I always have
and then your back.
It's time to sleep now
so I roll away.
"You want some
of my big blankie?" you ask,
as you cover my shoulder
with a corner.
Your tiny body snuggles in my back.
"Mom, can you cuddle?"
Each time I smile
and always say, "Yes."
Soon I hear your long, deep,
sleeping breaths,

and I smile.

Poetic Asides PAD Chapbook Challenge:
someone who is covered