does not look
so small
next to his cousins
toothless Timmy
and the Applesauce Monster

your wife
says summer is
aging too fast
though we are
weeks from solstice

and you know it
is true
when you approach
your baby
at the pool

and he is happy
with a splash-splash crew
of sunkissed kids
is not as interested
in old dad

and I can sense
him moving
farther and
farther
away