A poem of quotes

As some of you know, I’ve been working at my old preschool. It’s been a lot of different things all on top of each other, but one of the biggest and most constant joys has been spending the bulk of my time with children again, something I haven’t done since before the pandemic when I was a full time nanny.

I love kids. For lots of reasons. They exhaust me, yes, and I love getting to go home and leave them to their parents, but god, they’re kind of great.

I’ve been writing down some of the things they say, quotes that are ridiculous and accidentally moving in the way only children’s sentences are, and I’ve made a poem of just some of last year’s quotes. Here it is.

this is what my days look like lately

Grown up one day

I may not be friends

with the universe.

You will never know what I’m like.

I don’t snore, I purr.

I’m a sugar monster.

My favorite food is probably a dessert.

Like my dad’s leftover

birthday cake that has only one

slice left. You love me, I know

when you say

it, and I love you but

I’m making a magic potion

for people to say sorry

for things that weren’t even kind;

it has sharp claws.

I do too. And guess

what? Today’s gonna be a great day

because when I grow up

I’m going to have everything

I want. I’m here to celebrate.

Are you still my friend?

Even now? This is serious:

can we pretend

you always knew me?

Since I was a baby and I started

to breathe? I want that to be true.

I always want to know you. For like, forever.

People sometimes forget

things when they’re old. Maybe glasses

are why because they sometimes give

my grandpa a headache.

Your head is the boss

of memories. My grandpa’s head

forgot how to be that. He was fired

from remembering.

But I think you shouldn’t forget

me. I will be a grown up one day

in a house and you will be in your house.

You can come visit

when you want to. Or maybe

I will visit you. You will have snacks

like the one we had with crackers that crunch.

We will ride bikes we can crash by accident

and wear dresses because they are allowed.

Maybe I will wear red

on my lips like you so we match.

I think I will but maybe

not. We don’t

match now but I’m not a grown up yet.

I will grow up. You will have brown hair

again like you used to.

Sally will kiss

me at the door because she is so excited

to see me because she loves me

too. She loves me,

you love me, even when I am

a grown up for the first time

at your house with a pool.

I will be there on perfect timing.

It will break your heart. Not like sad break,

don’t worry. It will make your heart

bigger. My heart just keeps growing

with the rest of me, I guess.