The Face of a Son

he said I have morning hands
as he sat half kneeling on the floor
finger over finger over finger
under shoelace inside knots
looking up when he spoke
not down at the mess of hand
shoe string leg knee
dimples on both sides
but around one
four freckles
in a sort of square
a lean-to shanty square
that will fall off and dismantle
when he is grown or half grown
or maybe tomorrow when
he is a bit more grown than today
and I will scoop them up
the little brown dots
and smooth them back on his cheek