Thomas - at 23 Months Old

Outside the wind gets up, trees sway
A Northern heatwave comes our way
Within, wee Thomas claims attention
His screaming level causes tension!

His parents, drowsy, want to sleep
But Thomas, steady on his feet,
Clambers on the broad settee
With measured gaze: “Come play with me!”

His toys lie scattered on the floor
Beside a basket with heaps more
A drum and blue ball well in reach
But Thomas has imperfect speech…

‘Up’ and ‘down’ and ‘toy’ and ‘cheese’
Are clearly understood, but these
Do not, on their own, suffice
But screaming gets attention – nice!

To date, so Auntie has been told,
Thomas at nearly two years old,
Has twenty-eight words he can say;
Still missing from his vocab, “Play!”

(c) Poet in the woods 2015