For William, Turning One

I hope he will
be braver than anyone.
Tough. Kind.
That he will laugh loudly
in the movie theater.
That he will tell us jokes, snorting
too much to get through them.

I hope he will have
one favorite color, then another, then
somberly tell us he's switched
back to the first. I want

him to love marshmallows, or
airplanes, or yelling. I think
if he is not happy, I will die.

I think if he is happy,
then I can die.

Jessy Randall

If you've any comments on this poem, Jessy Randall would be pleased to hear from you.