just now has passed

...and she crawled up onto my lap, so young, so sweet, and she lay her head on my arm, and I put my arm around her chest and my hand on her belly, and held her while she fell instantly asleep. And I thought to myself, "I can't save you. I deceive you by allowing you to feel safe, by helping you feel protected and loved. But I can't save you." And she was warm, and I felt her heart beat inside her ribs, and I felt enormous care and awe at the intense peace of the moment. And I held her while she slept.

in dreams of a child

spawn subsides
slumber presides in state of mind
not far behind
rare journeys lay
arisen they
unlock a world
star-studded and pearled
or distant and wild
in dreams of a child