the mobile over the crib

i try

to quit, i try to retire,

but the phone

keeps ringing with work.

i get up

from my porch swing,

taking the cat

out of my lap, then

set the plate

of graham crackers

and glass of milk on the floor.

i answer the landline

on the kitchen wall inside.

someone needs

a room

a painted,

wallpapered, the baby

is due in April.

once they know if it's

a boy,

or a girl, they'll decide

on which pink,

or which blue paint to buy.

they ask if i can hang a mobile

over the crib.

of course, i tell them.

i remember how,

no problem.

i smile.

i like how they're all just

getting started,

keeping me alive.