a child doesn’t understand
others can’t hear
the way ice cream sounds or
taste the flutter of a bird’s wing
stirring fall leaves
how odd to describe the sound of
her grandmother’s checkerboard cake
to cousins’ laughter later pointing
then proclaiming her insane
mama sat her down finally explaining
sounds do not taste and
taste cannot be seen see these are
not the things we talk about
when others are around
so she shut down
it was the first
door to close
between her world
and theirs
she secreted away
the smell of roller coaster rides
the site of her favorite aunt’s perfume
tucked deep within she placed
the dance of colors and the appealing song of
a flower’s morning bloom
the masquerade unnatural
what to say to describe
the experiences of the day
a young woman, she settled
on the mundane
fine nice beautiful amazing
only the expected
a lie well kept
years passed
fine
nice
beautiful
amazing
days
she learned to listen
only in her brain to
the sounds chocolate makes
melting
then he was born
he drank her milk
tapping tiny fingers to
her rhythm
as he grew
the more they danced
feasting on
the passing clouds
fearfree living 
Another winner. I love the repetition of the “mundane” and then how everything broke out because “he was born.” Beautiful work, Wanda. xoA
Thank you!
I absolutely adored this – has a great deal of meaning for me. Thank you
Thanks for reading.
And a child can wake us up again. Shut down doesn’t have to be forever. Beautiful poem.
Thank you.
I have some sounds I remember intensely from being a child. My ears must have changed since then. I’m happy my son brought his own sounds into this world.
Thank you for reading. I’m so glad you found commonalities in my story.
There is such whimsical joy in those first lines, but the line about mother sitting her down – “these are not the things we talk about when others are around” – a real punch to the gut! There is a complete emotional journey in this poem, though, as we move from there through the “mundane…expected…a lie well kept” to the moment she (you?) realize her child is like her. This is AMAZING WRITING!
Thank you for joining me on the adventure.
Love this one.
Thank you.