When he’s past a year, then 18 months and still not speaking, we begin
to teach the baby signs,
scooping the air in front of us for want,
circling a fist over our hearts for please. It’s more he uses most,
gathering the fingers on each hand together, then touching the fingertips
over and over and over. At meals we ask
more cheese, or more turkey?
more banana or more cracker?
holding each item in the air so he can learn to choose,
trying to tie the sounds of words to the objects that he wants.
The signs go general and in excitement he signs
more and more, more water in the bath, more blocks, more
milk, more dancing. Without a word to stitch it to, the sign’s sometimes
hard to parse. Sometimes it seems it’s just a baby way of saying
joy. More dogs, more snow, more plastic t-rex stomping
over train tracks. Sitting on the floor with the new baby kicking at my ribs,
this wondrous not-quite baby smiling at his trains,
baby, yes, more of this. More of all of it.
"Naming the World" originally appeared in Eco Theo and is re-published with permission of the author.
The ALL Review is pleased to present our How to Live series, poems chosen to help readers navigate these difficult and rapidly changing times.
