Ethereal

On the website, creativeconstruction.wordpress.com there is a weekly creativity challenge. this week's prompt word was ethereal.

Somehow, all I could think of was faeries and diaphanous material or mists. I wasn't feeling it at all. Friday, late morning, this came out instead, suddenly, like an earthquake. A very earthy real poem for me anyway. I did minimal edits, as it felt too close, I had to let it go as is. Here it is:

Finally quieting for nap
my daughter nurses,
tossing her feet to my face
as when she was littler, toes to nose
in laughing games of ‘stinky toes!’
dreamily seeking the same.

Now fifteen months,
she has spent the morning
running across the backyard
barefoot, chasing the dog,
picking unripe tomatoes,
watching for my reaction,
dodging, one in hand,
out of my reach,
squealing in thievery delight.

Her feet to my face, I inhale deeply,
as she is latched on, rhythmically
sucking, most peaceful sound on earth,
lids sleepily closing.
I inhale deeply in the spaces
where her toes meet the sole of her foot
the in between, the nothing,
the soft padding
pressing into my lips, my nose,
roughening skin from
barefoot wandering
where once all was softness
pressing into my face
the ethereal scent
sunwarm grass,
freedom, independence,
and a girl, a baby no more.