I have the house to myself, oh what luxury. I do love a house full, or even a bit of company, but for today it is indulgence.
Kids
Kids are the messiest blessing,
the funnest trouble,
the sweetest pain.
Boys are brawlers.
Girls are strange and wonderful creatures.
Both are beautiful.
Their smooth freckled faces reflect the sunlight
soft-brightly, pulling a smile out of
serious grown-ups
like expert fishermen,
without even trying.
The Beach
The beach is cold and stormy
in winter, powerful in a different way.
Strong and gray.
It matches my feelings
as friends get older and struggle
with problems relentless like waves.
These are exciting, though, and gorgeous--
amazing saints I get to to walk with,
just by noticing them and following along.
Trees
Trees are a comfort,
like lights from a passing car at night
that track around the dark walls of my bedroom,
telling me I'm not alone.
Trees are a fortress,
a secret world under the evergreens,
where in my imagination
I could live quietly on soft pine needles.
Trees are a home
for hiding squirrels and flapping birds.
Their scurrying and singing
perform much music of perfection.
