Mammals' Motherhood

Pregant, attempting a nap,
groggy as a hibernating bear,
My cubs tumble over me.
Diapered bottoms roll across my face.
Shrieks
giggles
drool.
I resist only the worst of it,
with an occasional cuff or a growl.
Mostly, I'm laughing too.

I glimpse their chubby faces through slits
as they dive and wrestle.
Waiting for my third birth,
I feel linked to other mammals' motherhood.

I groan and grin,
receiving their little leaping bodies
wondering
how a mother leopard survives a litter.