today
baby told mama
that baby didn't want an easter basket
that baby didn't need an easter basket
that baby'd rather her not waste money
on low-shelf-life frivolities
that baby'd be content
with some stray pastel candies
sprinkled out
on their old wooden picnic table
in their kitchen.

and baby thinks that maybe
baby might have hurt mama's feelings
or broken mama's heart
because now mama's thinking
that her baby's a bit jaded, now
and her baby'd rather her
not be wasteful,

as if her baby were a waste,

as if her baby could ever be a waste.