sweet blades of gentle grass
like hair brushing the bottoms of my feet
shades of green flood my vision:
Pines, evergreen, maple, shrub, dogwood
The seasons move me to the page
to write, to poetry
The ink scratches across
lined paper like a well-manicured lawn
now dented and clumped from small children’s feet
playing in the garden
rejoicing in the sun
as carefree as can be
The neighbors’ dogs bellow and bark
the calm serene lazy green scene
is shattered with shrill and boom
oh, how I used to curse the dogs
and their loud incessant pitch
They too are creatures of the earth
and innocent of their own plight and cries
for play and attention
I take the cue and turn inward
to play on the page with a small smile
on my lips -- no sour or annoyance today
for Green blankets the earth
and I am a child of nature.
Tag: play
At nightfall
At nightfall we run with abandon.
We feel alive and invincible,
unaware of our own fragility.
Walking on a wire, we coax that
necessary bravery
to balance the task and the act.
At nightfall we run with abandon.
The amusement rides lit up and flashing
Old relics of a bygone era
Still functioning with a dated beauty.
The blossom disappears underfoot in the dark.
I try to save it and place it in my pocket
for protection, for safekeeping,
unaware that my own reckless abandon
could still crush it as my heart beats in my chest.
Laughing and playing,
Feeling alive and free.
I plucked that blossom.
Some beauty spoke to me.
A language that you were mine
for the taking.
And I acted on that urgency.
At nightfall we run with abandon,
not knowing what tomorrow brings.
How flashing lights were to sparkle never again.
How fun summer nights were limited.
Childhood seems so random.
Our family, so random.
The choice is not ours.
And we grow up together
Awkward in our adult-shaped bodies.
Our minds want to stay light.
To play with reckless abandon,
not knowing how short one life is
compared to the next.
Let’s make it a good one
The magenta slide beckoned us all.
The sun was shining.
The clear air filled our lungs.
We were not supposed to be here today.
This slide, this green open space was
Not on the agenda.
But isn’t life marvelous?
Our well-thought out plans went
Right out the window.
One cancellation.
And a shift,
A rift in our schedule.
Let’s make it a good one.
Let’s not squander it,
Smooth it over with more tasks.
The gaps filled with joy,
A playful laugh.
A child calls out to his mother.
You run into my outstretched arms
And call to me, to watch you run,
Watch you play.
A smile forms across my face.
My lips blow you a kiss.
We were not supposed to be here today
But I’m glad we did.
The Sisters Play
The sisters play. Lives unlived and unknown But real to their imaginations. We are at sea Where mermaids race and swim Greeted by friendly sea creatures. Oh, what adventures they had! Of course, there’s conflict. Problems present themselves. Solutions and ideas form. The sisters play on. The imagination lives In each one of us. It is known yet intangible. The stories and ideas Weave in and out. Like the waves in the sea. We marvel at their strength, Shape and fierce force. The sisters play. We are goddesses of the sea. We can shape that creative force And wield the plot and characters. A story unfolding, Real and imagined.