10/22

I see Z through the glass from ceiling to floor,
At the entrance of the hospital,
Where he was born 15 years before,
Probably wondering where the heck we’re at,
All the while wearing grandpa’s size-too-big hat.
Mom and I make him volunteer,
Just once a week every Monday,
To give back to the place that saved his life,
All the time spent on the unit day and night,
First neo-natal and later the pediatric floor.
He hops into grandma’s purple minivan,
Filled to the ceiling with camping gear,
Maps and paper plates and who knows what,
Just as his legs clear I close the door shut,
And he crams into the back with the rest of us.
Little E welcomes him with a devilish grin,
As Nancy starts right in and starts ribbing him,
But that’s what siblings do and they do it well,
They fill the space with laughter and jokes,
Making me so happy and filling me with hope.