My son is two so I have to write this quick,
Before it’s too late and the moment is gone.
You know, the now kind of moment
That lacks definitive boundaries,
Like pinpointing the end of dusk
Or naming the color of the sunset.
He’s growing like a flash of lightning.
Boy, does he love a school bus.
He is transitioning from calling it a “round round”
To actually almost saying “school bus”
That comes out like “cool bus.”
This is what I waited for my whole life.
Even when I’m alone in the car
Behind one of these beautiful beasts
I can hear him yell “cool bus mama cool bus!”
I can feel the pressure of his feet in my back.
So excited, like the bus is made of ice cream
That has recently dripped down from heaven.
He beats his fists on his knees and cries,
“Mama sing! Round round round!”
And we all sing The Wheels on the Bus.
His voice and hands have such gusto
When we make the horn on the bus
Go “beep beep beep.”
What does he think is in the bus,
This majestic yellow humpback?
Babies who go bump bump bump,
Teachers who say “move on back,”
A bounce house, blueberries, puppies,
As the wheels move round and round?
When I pull up behind one, I am instantly
Sad he’s not here to enjoy it with me.
I miss him constantly, my sweet boo boo,
My son, my wild surprise.
I am glad I get to see a school bus
Through his hazel green eyes.
I sing the song in my head and imagine
The wipers going swish swish and
The doors going open and shut and
I ignore the puff of black exhaust and the
Rainclouds in the distance, threatening
To ruin this promising afternoon.
About Mary Beth Cox