Keeping a five-year-old entertained on a 65-degree Easter Afternoon by Jennifer Jones

Keeping a five-year-old entertained on a 65-degree Easter Afternoon 

Bouncing bunny, all springs, small anticipation, 

hiding eggs with kindergarten grace, 

bright smooth plastic glowing in the Sun,  

warm and wet from sweaty hands, waiting  

for me to sniff out pigmentation —   

neon and loud. 

She is the Easter Bunny on this warm Denver day. 

Find me, her eggs bellow, then Biscuits! when I do. 

Third round of the hunt for youthful innocence begins. 

I didn’t hide them the bunny did my sweet Bug mumbles,  

and I believe her, 

and I don’t. 

She statues for a moment, vibrating eyes following me –  

silently shouting egg locations.  I found another egg,  

she knows she is a master of the repeated game,  

teaching me how to properly play.  

Pause  —   

as chocolate accidently falls  

into the small mouth, past round baby teeth. 

Mommy is a bit slow, she needs help, where? 

This brief game brief will repeat for few more years,  

a few more Easters — she became too adult,  

too immature in adolescence to see the joy. 

Now, a tightly coiled spring, she hides eggs in plain sight,  

proud of her superiority at this game — this egg hunt. 

Jennifer Jones, in no particular order, is a nerd, scientist, poet, wife, and mother. She teaches college level Astronomy in Colorado and enjoys blending her love of science with her love of poetry. Jennifer has anxiety, depression, and hearing loss, which influences her writing.  Her twitter handle is @JenRMJones. 

Scroll to Top