as i lay with vegetables

earlier this week i crept into my room directly after having turned the stubborn key in our apartment door.  a gorgeous flood of natural light welcomed my arrival and bade me to lay on our unmade bed.  i obliged, allowing my tense back to become one with the mattress.  i think time stopped for a second, or two.  

stella wasted no time and rushed to her room, jean jacket still on, emptying just about every bin of toys on the cold hard wood floors.  i could hear the soft dragging of blankies and the soothing of babies being murmured as she play just a few feet away.  all of this, her playing, a familiar sound i cherish and wish could be bottled.  

as i laid there breathing deeply, i kicked off my boots with the heel of my tired foot.  as my mascara smudged eyelids made their decent for my cheek, i heard the sound of tiny feet pitter pattering towards me, like spring rain drops hopping on the pavement.  they brought with them tiny hands clutching vegetables.  back and forth, with brightly colored foods she came and went, filling the air with an innocence akin to savoring cotton candy at a carnival or playing king of the mountain in a snow mound.  

with a delicate hand, she laid them in my hair, on my tummy, and under our covers.  this little game we played was the best part of my day.  i soaked it up, resting while awake and loving every second.