proof that babies kill brain cells

The giant hail storm of last October that decimated large areas of Phoenix (and by decimated I mean smashed a lot of windows) collapsed a part of the ceiling in our house. Fortunately, the only room really damaged was our storage room, which then gushed its contents over the rest of the house while the roof was repaired. Things are now being re-stored, nicely and neatly on new shelving. In the process, all kinds of interesting things from our past are resurfacing. I've enjoyed - and been mildly horrified by - some prime examples of my elementary school writings. I wrote horribly depressing endings into almost everything, it seems.

Today, mom handed me a piece of paper, containing a poem apparently inspired by my 8-month old self. It is sweetly written, and it makes me smile that my mother enjoyed my small self enough to be moved to verse. However, joining with the loving sentiments is a stanza that points strongly to the idea that babies and their accompanying sleep deprivation cause mental muddling.

With Love to Laura Kathleen

It's something to me that's quite real
About you there's so much appeal
You're friendly and fun
Like rays from the sun
Laura Kathleen, this tells what I feel

You're happy and cheery and light
To you every day is so bright
Your happiness shows
You shine and you glow
Your presence brings day out of night

As cows love to chew on their cud
And pigs love to wallow in mud
Like bears drawn to honey
And misers to money
I love you, my little rosebud.

Mamma
March 6, 1989