FromArraLynnRoss,atender,generous,andgenerativeextendedpoemcenteredontheexperienceofparenthood.“Whatislearned?I’llreturnformyson;/atschool,atthreethirty-eight,bellswillring&run/daysoveryears.“Usingunpredictablesyllabics,rhyme,andsyntax,DayoftheChildcapturesthesensationofalteredtimethataccompaniesachild’sgrowth.Seasonscomeandgo.Aschoolboybecomesadreaminginfantbecomesafive-year-oldexploringmetaphorforthefirsttimebecomesanultrasoundimage,“afriezeonscreen.“Amothercyclesthroughherownoftendissonantidentities:“soother,watcher,blame-taker.“Andbothmotherandchildassumeanother,significantrole:artisticcollaborators.ForDayoftheChildisapoemco-createdbychildandmother,offeringaspaceinwhicheach’sstories,thoughts,words--“unbound/byTime&time’sdelineations“--tangletogether.Inwhichapartness--“Ohindivisibledivisible,“thepresenceofanotherheartbeatinginsidethemother’sownbody--iscontinuallynegotiated.Andinwhichthemotherconsidersherplaceasintermediarybetweenthechildandtheworld:herprotection,hercomplicity,herjoy.Itsoctavepairsebbandflow,expandandcontract,producingaportraitofraisinganotherhumanasrefractedasitiscircular,justasariver“breaksintomanysuns,thesun.“For,asthechildasserts,“loveisacircl[e]round/asaBall.“Challengingthenotionthatparenthoodisnotitselfapoeticendeavor,DayoftheChildmakesofchildrearing“arefrainIreframedeachdaywithnewwords.“
