LULLABY

Sleep well, sweetheart.

You were busy the whole day —

you tidied up our home, went shopping,

picked up the mail at the post office,

mended our fence, cooked,

and paid all the monthly bills.

Sleep well, sweetheart.

I’m staying beside you,

relishing the time we are together.

The flowers in our yard are blooming

and the rabbits and groundhogs

have returned to their burrows.

Sleep well, sweetheart.

Beyond the window the moon is large and round.

There are no furious cries

or fearsome faces here.

Tonight you must sleep peacefully

so you will wake to another good day.