Not so creepy crawlers.

JayZsims

Tue, May 10 2011, 11:40 pm

I can only make out shadows from the sliver of light sneaking in between the shades. The birds have not begun their chorus and the traffic has not yet started to scream. The soft breaths of my son are the only sounds I hear. The clock on the VCR divulges the reason for this dormant world: 5:47.
AJ crawls into the crook of my elbow effectively eliminating any chance I had of rearranging into a more comfortable position. I telepathically will him to fall asleep and begin to settle into the darkness behind my own lids. Suddenly the pinch of a lobster’s claw squishes the excess skin on my cheeks. “Shhh”, I murmur, hoping that will be enough of a cue that this is not the time to confuse my face with play dough. But AJ doesn’t seem to pick up on the subtlety and another groan escapes as tiny fingers continue to scamper across my face. Recent success at shape sorting inspires him to find a suitable spot to set up camp for his pudgy fingers. First victim he tries is my mouth. AJ pries open my lips. Preparing for a future in dentistry, he claws at my gums and scrapes the plaque off my teeth. Discovering my tongue he twists it in as many directions as possibly. As much as I usually enjoy the taste of salty fingers, I quickly thrust them out of my mouth. Unfortunately, this doesn’t deter determined digits and they crawl across my face to find another fitting hole. Masquerading as a Q-tip, he jabs his finger into my eardrum, desperate to retrieve a hidden treasure. I swat the hand away and pull the cover over my head but he’s determined to find a home for his fingers. Sensing a weakness for breathing, he shoves his pointer into my unsuspecting nostril.
“Aaaa-Jaaay, please! It’s still night time” I half warn, half beg. But my words disintegrate like the dew disappearing into the misty morning air. I resign myself to the fact that today is just destined to be an early morning. I rub the crust out of the corners of my eyes and begin to sing Modeh Ani .

-I love to write but I don't often share my pieces. That's something I would like to change as it has been my lifelong dream to write. Please share any comments, questions or edits.