How to Hug Your Three-Year-Old Daughter by Paul B. Janeczko
This poem is so incredibly cute. I got it from a delightful anthology edited by Naomi Shihab Nye and Paul B. Janeczko called I Feel a Little Jumpy Around You. There are quite a few more from that collection that I’ve added to my file.
How to Hug Your Three-Year-Old Daughter
By Paul B. Janeczko
Be prepared
to be quick.
The hug may come
when you expect it least:
you’re carrying a cup of hot coffee
answering her call sleepy eyed
lifting bread from the oven.
The hug may come
around your knees
before she darts off
or from behind
as you stoop
to fish the remote
from beneath the couch.
Don’t be afraid
to ask for one.
Get down on your knees.
Spread your arms
to improve her aim.
Close your eyes.
Let her eager abruptness
startle you.
Grin.
Remember:
tomorrow is prompt.
Be prepared
to be quick.
