Infancy

Bang his head hits the wooden door,

Abruptly ends his scurrying crawl.

For a moment, his eyes widen in shock,

The next quarter is filled with his deafening bawl.

*****

Fifteen minutes, and not a second more,

Time to recover, he little does take.

They have incredibly short attention spans, they say.

Or was it just the sight of Mum’s chocolate cake?

*****

Carefully he makes his way across the marble floor,

Where the cream laden treasure does lay.

The table is a tad too high for his reach,

But surely there must be a way.

*****

He tries to lift his body up,

And finds a supporter in the nearby stool.

Wait a while, what might be this new substance?

Spends the next five minutes mesmerised by his own drool.

*****

Upright he stands, the cake still beyond his reach,

He tries one lunge, and then another.

Attempts in vain, he begins to whine,

Bad move, it has woken up mother.

*****

“Naughty you”, she shouts and laughs,

And quickly rushes towards the cake.

Winks at him, gestures a ‘No’,

Away she does the container take.

*****

A hint of disappointment marks his gaze,

But his desire he must now seek.

Unmindful, he takes his first steps and ambles across,

A joyful pearl traces down his mother’s cheek.