White Dragon Tea Room Durango

Sequoia's reeling off the firsts
This weekend: first train ride, first naan,
First antique store, first museum,
First afternoon in a tea room,

First steps in the hotel lobby
To a round of applause from guests.
Thirteen months and change gone by now
Since her first first on arrival,

Followed by my first intentions
To keep a record of all firsts,
Both unusual and mundane,
Something a grown child could savor

When the parent could no longer
Reassemble the memories--
First camping trip at six months old,
First toy keyboard a month before,

First spontaneous rolling trill
Between songs at first jazz concert,
Seven months old, and first handclaps
After a free children's concert,

First true crawl, nine months to the day,
First tooth not until the tenth month,
First unassisted stand, one year,
First wave hello around six months,

So many more than remembered
Already, when they're still so fresh,
So many unrecognized now
That might seem important later--

First act of kindness, first drawing,
First tune, first time working a crowd,
First moment of serenity
Contemplating silence and light.