a little poetry

Some moments beg to be distilled down into a poem.

Five Years Old

And then suddenly one day, your baby girl is running upstairs
to fetch your slippers
or your book
or her daddy.

She is helping her little sister get a drink of water
and pulling plates and cups out of cupboards to lay the table for dinner.
She is running and swinging and flipping and scooting —
long arms and legs flexing strong, beautiful lean muscles.

Before your eyes, you see her mind
turning the garbles of letters on paper
into words and thoughts and sentences.
“Hey, that says ‘love’!” and “Why does it say ‘you’ right there?”
And she is correcting her sister’s grammar.
And your grammar.

She is lying beside you on the bed, chin propped on hands,
wide eyes and expressive face,
asking questions and telling stories
and waxing philosophical and silly by turns.

Suddenly she has become a helper and a thinker and a most 
engaging companion.

And you don’t remember exactly when it happened,
but you know it’s just the beginning.

And that is both exciting and heartbreaking. 

Running

The sun is shining but there is still

Snow on the mountains

And in the shady places along the path

And there are little old ladies in baseball caps

With a spring in their step

And a cheerful "Good morning"

And teenage boys too cool to admit 

The euphoria they feel as their long legs

Cover the miles quickly

And bearded men with dogs who give

A quiet smile just in case you smile back but

Small enough they won't feel rejected if you don't

And mothers with babies in carriers and strollers

Crunching along the gravel with determination

And cowboys on bicycles who give a polite nod

So you can almost hear their unsaid "Howdy, ma'am"

And a favorite song in your ears with quiet notes

And nuances you only hear when you listen this way

And suddenly something catches your eye

And you turn to see a bird flying over the creek below

So you are almost at eye level 

And for just a moment 

You forget your heavy legs and sore muscles

As you soar together side by side

And then he is on his way again

And you return to earth