Today's poem came from a trip to a park with KFP. I wanted to go to a quieter park, but he had his heart set on a place with a sand pit. That was probably actually better for my poem.



23. "T" is for "Transcendentalism." (Write a poem inspired by nature that gets contemplative or deep.)

In Candy Corner, Narbeth Playground

With steady hands, my son filters
crushed dry leaves from tan sand
with a sieve. He drags
a blue rake to form roads. This fenced-
in space, filled with yellow grains
and spindly oaks, becomes an ocean
to a barefoot girl in a pink sweater. To my son,
a mining road for his loader and
dump truck. Either way -- mining for sticks
or carrying buckets of sand-shells --
we need this place.

Digging toes
and fingers into soft dampness. Inhaling
tree-filtered air. Even as gray
clouds cool the scene, we seek
renewal. One boy rejoices to find
a real seashell on this faux beach. I
have felt like that. Finding green
glimpses amidst concrete and glass,
or smelling rose and lilac amidst exhaust.

The body must connect with earth,
with water and sky. If not, our hearts
shrivel like cut flowers left
on a sidewalk, thirsty and fading.

- April 26, 2015