I am keeping my daughter home from school today

Just over a year ago, this poem was published in the Nov/Dec 2009 issue of Mothering magazine. The copyright has now reverted back to me so I can share it here. It captures some of the reasons that led us to to bring our kids home to homeschool.

I am keeping my daughter home from school today

I am keeping my daughter home from school today.
She has fallen behind in some subjects
and they need special attention,
like birdwatching
and blowing on the dust bunnies
'til they scamper across the floor
and deciding once and for all whether
the crack on the ceiling is a sleeping dragon
or a boat to sail away in.

Later on
with furrowed brows
we will conference over cups of hot chocolate
our fingers curled
around the smooth ceramic surface,
both seeking and protecting its warmth.
Earnestly we will say to each other
that it is all very well
to excel in math and spelling,
but if you cannot tell the difference
between a sparrow and a chickadee
then you're headed for some trouble in life.

Tomorrow
I think she can go back
when she is caught up,
when I am sure that she knows
how to catch the icy points
of the year's first snowflake
on her tongue.