https://padlet.com/allenbauman/8c57qdgrfh8xiifg en-us 2022-10-21 11:30:01 UTC 2026-03-15 04:47:17 UTC hello@padlet.com allenbauman https://padlet.com/allenbauman/8c57qdgrfh8xiifg/wish/2357147658 Very patient, my love--
Every sucking out snot from my
sleep boy, sick
(Never ending flu or colds!)
And wait for the...

KerrrrrrrrrrrPLOP
of the little boy, and ah my
Sweet little girl
Tenderly watching over my son?
Arguing over who gets

Eye scream! the 
very apple (or should I say)
Ever the chocolate-smeared queen of my heart

Melt, family into my
Empty heart where you belong]]> 2022-10-26 12:08:25 UTC https://padlet.com/allenbauman/8c57qdgrfh8xiifg/wish/2357147658 allenbauman https://padlet.com/allenbauman/8c57qdgrfh8xiifg/wish/2357298969 I chose to write an acrostic poem. In other words, the initals of every line spells out my family's first names. I felt this adds a personal touch and simultaneously brings my family into the life of the poem. Put another way, they are the very content of my poem, as well as the subject from which I reflect on the theme of being a father, husband, and having a household filled with different willpowers!

I played with imagery which is child-specific. In the first stanza, my allusion suggests that my sick son often has to get his boogers sucked out by mom. This is frequently done through a pediatric sinus tube. Tonally, I wanted the poem to maintain a light-hearted appeal. I'm a big fan of humor, and I feel humor can help us address unpleasant or uncomfortable situations in life. Now, if my wife reads this poem, I want her to know that I am grateful for her personal sacrifices - that is, overlooking her career to look over the kids.

Lastly, I wish to say something about the word play in the last stanza. This word play alludes to my daughter, and her obsession over ice cream. However, my daughter is alluded to in the previous stanza, suggesting that she frequently enters into squabbles with her brother. They share the same stanza because they are equal in my heart, although my daughter holds a special place as, the "queen of my heart."]]> 2022-10-26 13:41:22 UTC https://padlet.com/allenbauman/8c57qdgrfh8xiifg/wish/2357298969