“What will I eat mum”
You say in your sleep
Our first night away in the van.
The next words are at 4am 
When you start a cheerful
Rendition
Of ‘Father Christmas 
Is Coming Down The Chimney’.
This time not asleep
But fully awake.
“Sleep some more please poppet”
I say
“I can see a bird on the fire pit
Is the fire out?”
You say
“Where are all the men’s and woman’s?
I like you mummy,
I love you mummy,
We love each other mummy”
“I love you poppet.
Please can you go back to sleep”
“But it’s light”
You say
“It’s daytime”
You say
“Not yet pickle,
People are still asleep.
It’s still very early in the morning”
“It’s quiet mummy”
“Yes it is.
Please go back to sleep”
“We can sing together,
Sing with me”
And so this carries on 
For what seems like a very long time
I drift in and out of sleep
Like a fever
My body so heavy
It feels like a pack of sand
And I can’t work out how I’ll function
Until bedtime.
By lunchtime we’ve done everything
And you ask to go to sleep
And you’re still asleep 2 hours later.
Bliss.
But I think of the night to come
And the panic
Of being woken again
I need to wake you up
But you’re like a pack of sand
Dreaming of parallel lands.

(Written during lockdown)

I saw the sea today 
Madeira Drive closed 
Open only for exercise 
I ran down the middle 
Of the road
Along the white lines
And looked at the sea
And my beach
Every day I swam
With you growing in my tummy
Now you’re at nursery
Running about
While I run to the sea
Before I start work
I couldn’t imagine that before
But it’s happening
And one day you’ll be at school
Running about 
While I run to the sea
Before I start work
But that’s not happening yet
So I’m going to choose
Not to imagine it
Yet
So I keep on running.

(Written at the start of lockdown before daytime naps stopped)

The clock is set
The time begins
Now that you’re asleep
Ticking down the minutes
Until you wake again
There’s many things to do
Clean the dirtiest part of 
The house
That’s the most noticeable
Cook the next meal
Plan what to do when you wake
And think of what tomorrow 
Might bring
Look up what epoxy resin is
Start making a bug hotel
So it looks exciting enough 
For you to help
Do some work
Finish writing a children’s book
Keep in touch with friends 
And family
Order something from 
Amazon which,
At the time,
Seems impossible 
To live without
Remember to drink water
Sit for 10 minutes 
I see the time
I hear your noise
The countdown theme tune 
Starts in my head
With Carol Vordermon and 
Richard Whiteley 
Singing loudly in my ears
And nap time is finished 
Once more
Da-da, da-da, 
da-da-da-da 
Boom.