Early learning

　　Richard Meier

　　He's had his go, so now his sister

　　gets to be the one being chased

　　and gets to be the one who's caught

　　and reassembled by mum's embrace.

　　He tries to watch, to wait quietly

　　and for ten, twenty seconds keeps still

　　but then proceeds to squeal(告密) and scamper(蹦跳，奔跑)

　　pretending he's being chased as well

　　and, even though his mother blanks him,

　　carries on—since what else is there?—

　　and might have never stopped had she

　　not saved him with a chase-like gesture;

　　and calmed now, back in her arms,

　　he studies her for recognition

　　of their shared fib—grin at the ready—

　　as if it were all done with, nothing