I am keeping my son home from school today.

I am keeping my son home from school today.
He has fallen behind in some subjects
and they need special attention,
like birdwatching
and blowing on the dust bunnies
'til they scamper across the floor
and deciding once and for all whether
the crack on the ceiling is a sleeping dragon
or a boat to sail away in.

Later on
with furrowed brows
we will conference over cups of hot cocoa
our fingers curled
around the smooth ceramic surfaces,
both seeking and protecting its warmth.
Earnestly we will say to each other
that it is all very well
to excel in math and spelling,
but if you cannot tell the difference
between a sparrow and a chickadee
then you're headed for some trouble in life.

Tomorrow (next week)
I think he can go back
when he is caught up,
when I am sure he knows
how to catch the icy points
of the year's first snowflake
on his tongue.

Adapted from an original poem titled "I am keeping my daughter home from school today," by Jenny Schmitt, which was published in Mothering magazine, No. 151, November-December 2008, page 58. www.mothering.com