about a bit

me&me

this is micah apple. my mom says when i was little, i looked like her. when i see her and her feathery white-blond hair atop her miniature, petite frame, i can't imagine myself ever being that small. my knees are at at her forehead. micah's sweet. unlike most little girls her age, she's content to be with me, to play outside, to read books and to share my biscuit with me (with jelly on top) and reguarly tells me (or assures me) that she's having fun in her whispery, smokey little voice. she thanks me for things i do for her and always prefers my lap to a chair. yesterday, when i was babysitting gabo (her brother) and her, i sat on their back steps and shot imaginary arrows at bears, birds and other invisible animals in her backyard. children usually don't play along with these things anymore. micah did. she dutifully followed my pointed finger to where the "arrow" was and brought it back. she was so involved and fascinated. the game eventually evolved: she dubbed herself "mama bear" and made sure i knew that she was a nice bear, not a scary (scawey) one. so i didn't need to worry. i was "baby bear" and needed to stay in my cave and she would bring me food. so i sat on her low, bright blue trampoline and watched as the little mama bear drove her "car" across the lawn to the "grocery store" and then promptly brought it back to me, her little arm extended as she neared me with her small fist full of some yummy, nonexistent food. nothing is so charming to me as watching children wrapped up in their imaginary worlds. they go about quietly imagining spectacular things that aren't there and having a marvelous time. it's a nice break from a world of realistic, exhausted and worry-laden adults.

papa: "look at these little flowers, micah"

micah: oh wow!

gabo apple. her big brother.

blond me