Lungs

Tonight, I lie in bed with sweet Henry (and thankfully not his sinister alter-ego who still likes to visit). After we read a pre-negotiated three books, we snuggle down under the fresh sheets. His lashes grace the roundness of his cheeks and his forehead spoons with mine. I am there to put him to sleep but it is he who hypnotizes me. I still grasp to comprehend the miracle of his presence and my role in bringing him here. I remember his not-so-elegant but noble first breaths. And now I am here, absorbing him, his essence and his breath. In and out. Out and in. I time my inhalations with his exhalations so I can breathe him in -- forever folding him and this moment into my lungs.