when i wake you every morning
you demand something for your hands
you drag your furry pink blanket
with you from the crib when i pick you up
then set it aside for a small bottle of peppermint oil
and some saline nose spray
from the shelf above your changing table
once you are dressed
you scoot down the hallway stairs
open the hall closet
reaching for your purple jacket
and your furry polar bear hat
and then your pink knit hat too
and run to the front door
and turn back to me
to see when i am coming
i pause a moment to store this memory
like a parent does
the details overflowing my grasp
and then we go out the door together
hand in hand
adventuring out into the world
