We finished homework. Athan is watching a shark docu on Netflix, milking the last twenty minutes before bedtime rituals:
Teeth
Pjs
Willy Wonka
Nightly musings
Goodnight wishes
       Fifteen minutes. Enough for another try on Candy Crush.
       Ten minutes. Time to say turn it off, turn it off, turn it off.
       Five minutes. Candy Crush too hard.
       Then bedtime begins.
And teeth are brushed.
Pjs are on.
4 golden tickets were found.
"I forgot to tell you...", "Mama, tomorrow, can you..."
       But goodnight wishes are not always magical. Sometimes reality intrudes. And rituals are not always finished.

Teeth
Pjs
Willy Wonka
Nightly musings
Cold stillness
Questions and wails
Trip to Home Depot
Tears in brown eyes
Dirt in black pot
Chester inside
White flowers
Mint
And lavender

Eyelid kisses
Goodnight

and goodbye
Chester