JS-8
What is the nature of true freedom?
BABY LED WEANING
Who thought this would be a good idea,
Dressing down the baby to its diaper
Or dressing it up in some hazmat suit,
Expecting the baby to feed itself?
When our babies were babies,
We fed them goop from a Gerber jar,
Belted into a baby seat bouncer,
Chasing their mouths with a plastic spoon
We made sounds like an oncoming train
Or made motions like crop duster plane
And when the jar was finally empty
We exclaimed, “Good Job”
Those babies eventually grew up,
Found a job and a mate,
Signed up for their own cell phone plan,
Health insurance, and Netflix account.
This was the way God created the World.
And saw that it was good.
But now these babies play with their food
While some food reaches their mouths,
Sticky noodles flung across the floor, or on the wall,
Or stuck in the hair on the back of their head.
They create artwork with oatmeal
Form playdough out of potato
Finger paint with cottage cheese
All with an expression of wonder and awe.
Only ten months old and they are discovering texture,
Independence, hand-eye coordination, and finger dexterity,
preparing them for the day when they become the artist,
The pianist, the bassist, or maybe a 3rd baseman?
Their parents cheer as they create such a mess,
The inquisitive infant expression suggesting more is afoot
And when their Buddha belly is finally full,
Their parents exclaimed, “Good Job!”
I wonder how different my life would have been
Had my parents defied God’s plan.