Talking with a New Mom

I cradle my advice close,
still warm to the touch,
though my own children
discard days like worn shoes
kicked off in the hall.

How to feed, how to soothe,
how to lull to sleep—I know 
a new mother gets so much 
advice pressed into her hands,

tips and tricks ill-fitting,
water-stained, thin at the knees, 
with someone else’s fingerprints
smudged all over.

So I listen to her and remember 
when I too was learning how 
to reshape my life 
to hold another person in it 
with my soft, young hands.