i love it when you call me baby
it breaks my heart wide open and
spills it on the ground and wraps me
up in an understanding that needs
nothing more than your silent smile
and gentle, responsive hands
i love it when behind your eyes i see
the sparkle of your boy– his joy
and wonder at the world shining
brightness on butterflies and squirrels
cascading treetops and rolling ant hills
i love it when your words surprise me
and reveal a depth of feeling
i could only hope existed
and the pathway through the labyrinth
illuminates from my door to yours
i love it when a fallen snow of
blossoms carpets the ground beneath
our feet and i marvel at the
beauty of life, its fragile cycle
continuously renewing
i love it when the whisper of the moon
shrouded behind the clouds reveals her
gentle beauty to our searching eyes
her understated power a beacon
along this ever-unfolding path
i love it when you call me baby.