A WILDFLOWER WITH SUPER POWER

 

When the long-retired English teacher sees a wildflower growing on its own

she lingers there a while 

as the memory of a student visits and brings with it…a smile.

She remembers standing in front of her class…announcing,

“I give this same assignment every year…

please write what you want to be when you grow up…

and remember…there are no wrong answers here!”

There answers were as predictable as children’s answers usually are:

fireman, policeman, doctor…super-hero…movie star.

She read each one with interest as their grammar she corrected…

until she came across one paper with an answer…unexpected.

It was written by the shyest student in her class…

who didn’t want fame or fortune…or a super power…

‘When I grow up,’ her wish was simply, 

‘I want to be a wild flower!”

‘Because bringing a little beauty to the world is a wildflower’s livelihood 

and I want to bloom in all the places no one ever thought I would.’

‘You already bring beauty to my world!’ The teacher remembers writing.

‘and I know you’ll find a way…to share your beauty wherever you go!’

then she gave her paper an ‘A’.

This is why she lingers a while when she sees a single wildflower….

to remember the shyest student she ever had…

with the greatest superpower.

NATURE THE CHILD

 

The more walks I’ve taken in nature…with each experience I’ve compiled

the more I think that nature is really just a child.

Before you think I’m crazy…let me offer a few reasons why…

She loves to play with crayons…have you seen the way she colors the sky?

Not just the sky…she colors everything and she never stays within the lines…

When she’s hungry you can hear her stomach grumble…

In the wind you can hear her whines.

She laughs at all the little things…she gets tickled by the breeze…

Her attention changes quickly…from the flowers to the trees…

to the oceans….to the rivers…to the mountains…to the streams…

and just like a child I’ve often wondered what inspires natures’s dreams?

She changes moods quite easily…she’s not one to conform….

One moment she is calm and quiet…the next…a sudden thunderstorm

She is a constant source of sunshine…boundless energy…and light…

and just like any child…she need her sleep at night.

Yes, in nature each day is a new adventure…

you never know what to expect…

which makes me wonder….

if nature 

like a child…

is something we should try harder to protect.

THE CHOICE IS YOURS

 

I am a human being…just like you…

You needn’t know my name.

and though we are all a little different…we are all humans just the same.

Speaking not just for myself but for the human species…if I may

none of us choose to be humans…we are born this way.

None of us can change that fact…it is how we were created.

In fact…the fact we are all humans should be cherished and celebrated.

I did not choose to me a man or a woman…

the color of my skin…if I was straight or trans or gay…

It is part of the human being I am…I was born this way.

But when you hate me for who I am…

when you call me names…

when you say I’m a mistake…

however you come to this decision…this is a choice you choose to make.

When you ignore or prohibit my existence…

when you don’t see me…for me…

when you intentionally hurt me or any other human being…

you hurt all humanity… 

So here’s a gentle reminder…

if hate is controlling your inner voice….

this is truly your mistake…

because love is also a choice

you can choose to make

THE BEAUTY WE CANNOT SEE

We are blessed to live in a world surrounded by beauty…

in the sky…on the land..the sea.

but today I’d like to take a moment and celebrate

some of the beauty we cannot see.

We cannot see the wind as she lifts the branches of the tree.

We cannot see the air we breathe…or the force of gravity.

We cannot see a child growing…even a child of our own.

Their growth is imperceptible…we only notice that they’ve grown.

An artist’s painting, an author’s book, a composer’s music…

these are things we are able to see…

but we cannot see their moment of inspiration…

their imagination

their creativity.

We cannot look inside another person and see their hopes, their dreams, their fears.

We cannot see the words ‘I love you’ travel from our lips to another’s ears.

Where our wishes are created…this we cannot see…

or where these wishes end up…once we set them free.

We cannot see the sadness that surrounds the soul when two lovers part.

We cannot see the hidden room where love begins in the comfort of our heart

I will never take for granted all the wonder…all the beauty surrounding me…

but every now and then I like to close my eyes and give a little thanks

for all the things I cannot see.

 

A PINK MYLAR BALLOON

 Our next-door neighbors Joe and Kayla, just had a baby!

We saw the sign this afternoon…

tied to their mailbox…

bouncing in the wind…

a pink, mylar balloon.

I spoke with Joe, the father, who happily exclaimed…

“She’s a seven pound 6 ounce baby girl and Abigail is her name”.

Abigail now joins her brother, Ollie, as their family gets redefined…

“And how is Kayla?” I asked.

Joe smiled…”She is doing fine.”

Deborah and I rejoiced at their news…

remembering when our family was that young…

thinking of all the happiness they’ve yet to encounter

all the songs yet to be sung.

Thinking how lucky they are this family….

for nothing can compare…

to the experiences that await them…

all the love they’ve yet to share. 

Thinking how a new world of joy is opening before them…

that all began this afternoon….

tied to their mailbox…

bouncing in the wind…

a pink mylar balloon

BABY

I 'MAGIN

 

When we were little she told these wild stories…about dragons and dinosaurs…

She said she was a princess who loved to run along the shore..

She said sometimes she flew with angels….She said angels like to hold your hands.

She said she visited castles on the tops of mountains…way off in far away lands.

And I would listen to her stories when we played together every day

and when I asked her how she did it, “I ‘magin it.” she’d say.

“It’s really very simple…If I want to float up in the air

or fly across the ocean…I ‘magin that I’m there.”

“Every time I ‘magin…I’m in for a big surprise

that’s why every time I ‘magin…I never close my eyes.”

“I want to see what kind of bird I am…on that nest in the top of the tree.

I want to see what I am wearing…as a pirate on the sea.”

“I never know when I ‘magin…what adventures will await

I want to see the color of my horse as I storm the castle gate.”

“I want to see as I sit upon my throne if my cushion is bright red.

I want to count the number of diamonds in the crown upon on my head.”

She taught me how to ‘magin with her…and I joined her on the seas

I helped her stormed the castles…together we floated on the breeze….

I helped her count her diamonds as she sat upon her throne

as we ‘magined neither one of us would ever be alone…

And though it’s been many years since I have seen her…

there are days I ‘magin back to when we were pirates on the sea…

or storming castles… or fighting dragons….

and I ‘magin…so does she.