Photo by Greg Rakozy on Unsplash

I have always loved poetry.

I started writing my own poems for fun as a young girl, and kept a notebook and pen under my bed for middle-of-the-night inspiration.

With illness consuming our household the last two weeks, it has been challenging to write.

So I thought I would try something different and share a short poem I wrote this past fall.

I wrote it at the start of our homeschool journey. It is inspired by the many looks I got at the park over the years as I let my kids scale trees and rock walls and jump off things.

Enjoy!

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Touch the Dirt, Climb a Tree

He raced across the yard, towards a puddle full of mud.

He jumped and his shoes hit it with a splash and squishy thud.

Next he climbed way up the tree, the branches beginning to wiggle.

He jumped towards the ground, with a “woohoo” and a giggle.

He landed safely, as all the adults held their breath.

They were certain such behavior would lead to imminent death.

Although they climbed that very tree many years before,

It suddenly was terrifying, and was not safe anymore.

The shouts of “be careful” replaced the shouts of “go play.”

And the neighborly “come on in” was replaced by “go away.”

We got the “safe” and private world we thought we desired.

And the unexpected result? A world disconnected and tired.

We tried to optimize childhood and removed what made it free.

To regain what was lost, let them touch the dirt and climb a tree.

-Brittany