Savannah: a Large Grassy Plane

Sunday
I met her

her bangs hung like vines heavy in her eyes
her two arms like handcuffs locked around Mikes neck

I asked her if we could be friends, and she said yes but did not budge
the dark of her skin, her hair somehow resembling her new adoptive Mother

Carley and I talked about it briefly over the last year
here and there I cut her hair treading softly  so as not to awaken the sorrow of
the unawakened womb

"God will do this," she'd say, "I know this,"
but it hadn't come as quickly as they'd hoped

& then, Savannah
she came unexpected and brittle and energetic
like a kitten who just discovered site

hours were spent skyping her, memorizing her
as Texas held her tightly

Carleys eyes began to sparkle and I cried
as I snipped off brittle, damaged ends of her hair
and left in its place
health
smooth
alive.

Savannah came tiny and confused and cried herself to sleep
her entire body shook like grass does when hit by rain that first night, home
it was because her mother had left her with grandparents
and grandparents and handed her to this home, a place of
health
smooth
alive
in the midst of her chaos.

Carley was wearing yellow the day she told me
that inside her womb was a peach sized human
and over weeks from afar I watched her grow

(Im in tears writing this)

suddenly, this couple of two
became four
just. like. that.

Last night,
a week and a half after I met tiny Savannah
the boys were in the outfield
slapping butts
hackling the other team
hitting homeruns, losing
sliding carefully into base but
Mike slid too hard or to the wrong side or too abruptly
his leg moved sideways in a broken direction

the crowd around him
I saw my husband carefully carry his leg all the while Mike said
"this can't happen now, this is a 6 month process, Im a new Dad and my baby is coming soon, I have three girls at home"
and the women stood far away
hands covering their mouths or their eyes
backs straight like peacocks in the stands

I know all of this will end beautifully
"God will do this, I know this" (taken from the wife herself)
but if you could pray for this family or bring a good sized meal to their door
It will be a blessing.
thanks for reading.