what could be better
then box-sledding
on dirt and dried grass
while dreaming of snow?
—
“my first playpen was a cardboard box.”
-michael lee-chin
Nov25
Tag Archives: childhood
Nov23
atomic.
what child wouldn’t put this on their holiday wish list?
—
“it is the weight, not numbers of experiments that is to be regarded.”
-isaac newton
—
credits: Rogue NASA, Weird History
Oct25
reaching out.
one friend shares her flower with another
—
as a teacher of young children
i am always struck
by the natural way
that children connect with each other
reaching out
with genuine kindness and kinship.
—
“anyone who takes time to be kind is beautiful.”
-author unknown
Oct15
fingernail.
when i was a little girl
one of my sisters used to bite her nails
when i’d look out the window
see the sliver of a moon
i thought that was her nail up there
wanting endlessly
to think of a way to get it back for her.
—
“it’s like we’re on a rocket ship that we were just painting,
and suddenly it took off
and we’re holding onto the ship with our fingernails.
– Esteban Contreras
Oct2
special delivery.
a very special delivery
going to a very special place:
the fairy house in our school garden.
they will be so happy.
“find happiness by delivering it”
– chris murray
Sep19
comfort always.
day two of our return to school
we all find comfort in our own way
a donkey, a pillow, a bus, a dragon
each makes all the difference to someone.
—
“cure sometimes, treat often, comfort always.”
-hippocrates
Sep5
spirited.
fifteen months old
back to the baby book we go
another precursor to my future
pretty accurate then and now.
not so much the running.
—
“walks and runs real well. understands almost anything you tell her. climbs on everything.
also started kissing at 15 months.”
– my mom
—
“once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight,
or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
– e. e. cummings
Aug14
rhythm and music.
from the rhythm and music section of my baby book:
“loves to hear record player going or any music at 15 months.
attempts to dance to it and complains when music stops.”
not one part of this has changed except for my age.
—
“music and rhythm find their way into the secret places of the soul.”
-plato
Jul25
birch.
standing in my yard
a child
small among the birch trees
i would slowly peel away the bark
creating the most delicate pieces of beautiful paper
a gift from the tree
uncurled and waiting to be my papyrus.
—
“out of sight above the house, the mirror moon reflected the sun of a day not yet dawned,
shining the pale light of tomorrow on the yard and on the paper birches.”
-dean koontz
—
image credit: white birch fragrance oil
Feb10
little dark house.
back in the day
when my girls were little
if there was a power outage
I would tell them
we were just like the family
in ‘the little house on the prairie’
we could pretend we were them
have lots of fun
it was okay for a while
until it got old
the novelty wore off
when there was
no pa playin’ the fiddle
no butter to churn
no humming and singing
no stitchin’ to be done
no cows to milk
then we just had to wait it out
and it was not fun.
—
“where a light can’t live, i know i can’t.”
-Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House on the Prairie
—
image credit: nbc tv
