I watch you watch the world go by,
Your curious eyes exploring.
Still too young to understand,
The time that you were born in.
Crinkled eyes smile at you,
From behind masked faces,
Distances to keep marked out,
On floors and shared spaces.
And in our little bubble,
We’ve watched you grow and grow
Grateful for the silver lining,
That kept us two years from my home.
But it also shrunk our circle,
In a state mum and dad aren’t from,
Family and friends across state borders,
So few people to lean on.
You’ve seen me shed so many tears
Concern etched upon your face.
The hardness of it all spilled out,
Supported by your dad’s embrace.
We had to keep reminding ourselves.
This is hard and harder than normal still.
That it wasn’t us, we were doing our best,
But some days were survived by sheer will.
I’ve burnt out and I’ve broken.
Picked myself up and started again.
Every time that I fell down,
I tried to remember there would be an end.
That despite the ache that held us up,
So many memories just made for three.
One day soon we’d get home to them all,
You, your new baby brother, dad and me.
