As a child

I remember looking at
the galaxies and seeing
the exquisite movement
of meteors and stars
swirling and sparkling
in multi-colors;
red/ yellow/ blue /white.
Sunsets made my heart ache.
Trees were something
to climb, even live in.

Sometimes I couldn’t
decide if I was awake,
or if I was dreaming
I was awake,
or if I was dreaming
I was dreaming
I was awake,
or if I was a butterfly
dreaming I was a little girl
wandering in the woods
looking for wildflowers
and birds’ nests,
Jack-in-the-pulpits
and Lady’s Slippers;
jumping off fence posts
and roof tops trying to fly;
making clover chains
and leaf hats to wear;
tying strings to June bugs
to watch them buzz
frantically in the air.

Sometimes I think
I haven’t changed much
or that maybe
I’ve come full circle
to that sense of wonder
and possibility,
but still let the world
of adult concerns
thump me into
the illusion of reality.


© 2000 Melissa Songer