Sometimes when I lie awake watching you sleep
A poem gets written in my head
Seemingly the only appropriate response
To the utter paradox of motherhood
The bewilderment
The aching Love
The fatigue
And the crazy making

I lie there watching you
Finally quiet
The most precious thing I ever saw
Still innocent
And small
Though growing and so tall

“Te amo,” I whisper
“Te amo mama”

Her eyes flicker open and then shut
Shut and then open
Until sleep overcomes her

The breath grows heavier
Her hair softer
My knees curled into hers
Just as her tiny body was once curled inside mine 

The design 
The mayhem
The humor
The awe
Of it all

Grateful tonight
For this intricate position called Mother