I am a story I tell myself
to help her sleep
Sometimes I like to let her revisit the parts where she can giggle and point and say
look, that’s me!

But sometimes she doesn’t like to listen
So I have to read out loud—I mean really scream the words
while she paces around the room with her fingers in her ears crying
who is that and who are you and get out of my bed

I hug her tight
no tears, no worries
It’s just a story
We can read something else tomorrow