One of the most enjoyable - and frustrating - of pastimes is taking a walk with a young child. They have the sense of wonder and joy that we've lost through years of living and cynicism, and they ask the innocent questions we can't answer ... not the ugly ones like which crooked, lying loser are you going to vote for?. This poem by David Wagoner speaks to the joy and the challenge of walking with a young child ...
Walking around the Block with a Three-Year Old
by David Wagoner
She sees a starling legs-up in the gutter.
She finds an earthworm limp and pale in a puddle.
What’s wrong with them? she says. I tell her they’re dead.
She scowls at me. She stares at her short shadow
And makes it dance in the road. She shakes its head.
Daddy, you don’t look pretty, she says. I agree.
She stomps on a sewer grid where the slow rain
Is vanishing. Do you want to go down there?
I tell her no. Neither do I she says.
She picks up a stone. This is an elephant.
Because it’s heavy, smooth, slate gray, and hers,
I tell her it’s very like an elephant.
We’re back. The starling is gone. Where did it go?
She says. I tell her I don’t know, maybe
A cat took it away. I think it’s lost.
I tell her I think so too. But can’t you find it?
I tell her I don’t think so. Let’s go look.
I show her my empty hands, and she takes one.
Been there, done that, got the t-shirt ...
More thoughts tomorrow.
Bilbo
A touching poem. I like it!
ReplyDeleteI need that shirt.
ReplyDeleteI don't have kids or grandkids, but that doesn't stop me from making stuff up!
ReplyDeleteA very different poem.
ReplyDelete