Tentatively, a child emerges from his Mother’s
Sage skirts,
The playground awaits,
Giddy with glee and wonder
He stumbles toward the
Adventurous caper,
Here stands the sandbox,
There the swings
Side by side with the towering slide,
Sunlit blonde hair flapping behind, dimples defined
He joins the mirthful children with a wide smile,
All the while regarded by a lone stranger in black,
Playing and laughing
He scampers toward the slide
Eagerly climbing he finds
The height is too much for his stride
Stricken with qualm
And trembling, he ascends with careful footing,
Finally,
On top he sits
Still with sickening unease
But relieved with a proud grin,
He spins to the ground with
A gentle glide
Noticing wisely the evening’s approach
And playtime coming close to an end,
His beam fading
To contentment,
He saunters to the
Silent Observer,
He graces her pale cheek with a kiss,
And embracing his minuscule hand in hers,
She leads him away,
Wonderingly unaware, but tranquil.