Tonight's Poet Corner: Sonnet Solstice #260

You Are So Light
by Belinda Roddie

You are so light and easy to carry
as I haul you up seven flights of stairs.
It's as if you're two armfuls' worth of breeze,
or brittle sunlight caught between the hairs
on my head. I know you've fallen asleep
against my chest, your nose whistling, your breath
coming out in short, harsh bursts, and I keep
time of your pulse so that you don't risk death
as you bounce against me. I lay you down
on the couch. Suddenly, your fingers latch
onto my shirt. I feel my own heart pound
as you look up, awake, but still detached
from the world around you. You are so light,
but your grip's so heavy to me tonight.