From time to time the need arises
To sink into the enveloping arms
Of tall, cool grass
And dreamily descend into an earlier time
Of simplicity and wide-eyed innocence
To pretend once again to be little enough to chew the blades
And let green stains streak my cotton dress
To continue yesterday's conversation with the wise old preying mantis
And the delicate ladybird
As they blithely incorporate my limbs
Into their chosen territory
And so become my defenders
Against all intruders
Time is long and drifting on this day
Like the lazy fronds of clouds that drizzle across the blue above
Pale like my eyelashes as they feather over my own blue eyes
Filtering the warm bath of sun
Long fingers of sun
Reaching down to blush my cheeks
Is it God touching my face, lying here in the grass with me?
Or is the sun a fragrance wafting from a heavenly kitchen
Carrying familiar yet longed-for aromas of marvelous dishes
Bowls of miraculous fruit
Cakes of grace, warm and nourishing
Deep glasses of understanding
Platter after platter of bright golden wisdom
And endless cups of love
Every time I look into the sky
The wellspring of anticipation and wonder rises in my belly
As again, year after year, decade after decade
My future rises before me as a new day
My excitement is for the endless gifts that lie waiting for me to unwrap
Placed by eternal hands all around me
Some given before I was born
When the giver was in secret
Continually discovered and stumbled upon
Eliciting a squeal of utter joy or breathless, awed silence
This day is a gift of stretched time, of more sun and more sky
While somewhere else the sun visits only for a few hours
And the night takes the main stage
As I have received, so I give
Soon I will give the longest day and accept the shortest
No true gift comes without sacrifice
A sacrifice out of love
A perfect gift

copyright © the author, 2000