A Squish A Day
(by Eleanor May Blackburn)

You are comfort, safety and home
I wriggled and giggled when my hair you used to comb
The lugs and comb caused tears to fall
But I was overwhelmed by the joy of being curled up in a ball
On your knee, for you see
I squirm in delight at being close to you
There are no limits to what you’d do
For someone else
And that’s all the more evident in this crisis
Making healthy food that’s rich in tasty herbs and spices
To share, hand and give around
Food is a wondrous remedy for lockdown
Soup and crusty bread that tastes like being happy
Mopping the first with the latter messily and badly
Warm are your arms, warm is the soup
I finish and then you stoop to swoop me up
And nowadays you may not have to stoop to reach me
But your embrace still makes me feel fuzzy and carefree
And like the world is mine for the taking
None can compete with the amount of squishes we are making
Then we’re baking and shaking with laughter
Right now it’s a long natter and socially distanced drinks after
Back then it was please just one more chapter
You always put everything else after your priority of looking after us
We challenge each other with our different opinions when we discuss
And you say I’m always right