Doorway to the Dark

Rocky and Roman, 18 months old, standing at the doorway 

I remember
Their tushies
And the rolls of baby fat
On the back of their eighteen month old thighs
Rocky and Roman
Stood naked
In the doorway
To our back yard
Pointing at the night sky
Excited
Dark, Mommy, dark?
Ann just told them about
Darkness
And even though
They had seen it
Many times before
This was the moment
Their new brains
Put a name
To that marvelous phenomenon
Dark, Mommy, dark!
Yes, yes, yes!
I sat motionless
Taking mechanical breaths
In awe
Blessed to
Be witness
To their discovery
I wanted to jump up
Hug them
And tell them about
The moon and stars
Instead
I silently cried
My boys
Had discovered
The darkness
Ann asked if I was emotional
Yes
But I couldn’t explain
Why