Family Bed

After scriptures and prayers are said
we all climb into our family bed
three children face up, three crawl down
one occasionally sleeps on the ground
I lay with the baby, she'll be three in May
she wraps her arms around me and we fall asleep that way
The covers get tangled in the children's feet
They turn themselves sideways, their heads meet
They look so innocent, beauty in their faces
but it is hard to sleep among the mazes
of arms and legs and tender toes
They poke each other and cry their woes
Sometimes I creep in the middle of the night
and escape to the couch, it feels so right
I can stretch out my legs and no one jabs me
I can relax at last, I feel strangely free
But then guess what happens to me?
I wake a little later only to see
that not one, or two but three followed me
and are wrapped around the couch like cats
in strange positions, it must hurt like that
And so I smile and breathe a sigh
It was nice for an hour but now I will try
to hug them and hold them for they aren't little too long
to touch their faces and sing them a song
The family bed doesn't always work
but my children are close and that I won't shirk
Nothing feels better, there is no greater joy
than being a mother of four girls and two boys
I wouldn't have it any other way
though sleeping well tempts me some days
I am happiest when they are right beside
They feel safe and fitfully, but happily, we abide!