Packing
Endless things
In the event of things
That may or
May not
Happen.
Clothes for rainy days
Sunny days
Cold nights
Warm nights
Upstairs
Downstairs
Back upstairs forgot the toothbrush
Downstairs forgot warm socks
Back upstairs
So much effort for 
Two nights on our own
In a field next to Alpaca’s 
And a camel called George.
It rains torrential rain
Then thunders
Then the sun comes out again.
On our misty van back window
You write your name
With a smile on your face
So proud of what you’ve done
And in that moment the effort 
Pays off.
We explore
Cook food
Wash up
Find the toilets
Discover the rope swings
You draw endless drawings
I whizz you around on the picnic blanket like a magic carpet 
You shriek with laughter
We make a campfire and toast marshmallows 
And then it’s time for your bed.
You fall into a deep sleep
I’m totally shattered.
I sit by the fire 
In a daze of the day
And listen 
To people chatting
Corks popping
Music playing
I see people around their campfire
Laughing together
Tiredness sweeps in
I close the van door with a loud bang as it’s the only way to shut it.
You keep on snoring
The noise of other peoples evenings drifts around the van
I roll into bed 
And wait for unconsciousness.

Everywhere you go, you eat
So there are crumbs in my bed
There are crumbs on the floor
There are crumbs in my bag
There are crumbs in my coat pocket
There are crumbs stuck to my socks
There are crumbs in your hair.
I remember a time without crumbs
In my bed.
That's something I miss
An uncrumby bed.
But then if I had an uncrumby bed
I wouldn't have you
So I'll live with a crumby bed
Even though
In the night when I roll over onto crumbs
I swear and try to brush them out
But they never fully go.
There's always one or two
That stay.
So for the next 10 years
I'll probably have a crumby bed
Unless we stop having breakfast in bed
At the weekend
But I hope we never stop that.
I haven't considered the issue of crumbs
In so much depth until now.

You fell over your scooter at nursery
And grazed your knee
The teacher put a mesh thing on it
The blood dried and got stuck.
That was a new experience for you and me
Oh the noise when you looked at it
"Stop looking at it" I say
"You stop looking at it" you say
And you wail at the horror of the unfamiliar 
Graze.
You took ages to go to sleep that night
Crying in pain with all of your might
The walls seemed to shake
And so did my brain.
When you were finally quiet
I lay in bed thinking
I really need to take the mesh thing off
So it can breathe.
I crept into your room
In the depths of the night
And as you breathed out
I pulled it
And didn't stop until it was off.
You woke and groaned
"My graze, my graze"
And I stopped still
Then you started snoring again.
I crept back to bed
Breathed out and finally slept.