Crayon Blue Sky, Red Wagon Ride

Crayon blue sky
Pink puffy trees
Verdant green grass
Red wagon ride.

 Some firsts today:
Megan said, "Mommy I love you"
throwing her arms around me
All on her own 
without me saying it first.
Alex reaches the sink
without the step stool
another sign that my baby
is truly not a baby anymore.
Megan climbs with persistence 
up the steep rock climbing slide
without any help.
She couldn't do this
just days ago
and now, just like that,
 she can.

 On the swings,
Alex proclaims he is a birdie!
Flapping his wings
as he lays on his stomach
on the black swing,
face full of gold light.

 As I stand on the playground,
I notice the sometimes numbness
in my hands and feet
is back today
and I vaguely think
I probably should 
have this checked out.
Will next May be as trouble-free
as today?


 Walking home,
we pass the 9/11 Memorial
and I remember that day
was crayon blue, too.
The Memorial says:
"No farewell words were spoken,
No chance to say goodbye.
You were gone before we knew it,
And only God knows why."

 My thoughts turn dark and sad
But the indomitably cheerful
song of the ice cream truck plays
as it stops in front of my house.
My family calls to me,
So I choose happiness and a vanilla cone
with sprinkles. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#SOL16 Lesson From Piper

Image
Have you seen the Disney Pixar Short film Piper ?  If not, go watch...I'll wait. :) I watched this movie today with a few of my students who stay after school for "Club Success" (formerly called "tutoring" but this feels way more positive for the kids who are asked to stay). After we watched Piper , we wrote about the movie and then shared our writing. Each of the three students who wrote touched upon the idea that Piper had to learn how to get the food for herself. Some students mentioned the pride she felt after she learned how to survive the big waves and find food.  We talked about the mistakes she made and how they helped her to learn.  I think this video is a MUST WATCH for a few reasons.  1- It really makes you think about the process of learning and how uncomfortable it can feel when you move to trying something new for the first time.  2-Piper learned by her failed attempts and eventually by finding a mentor and trying his strategy. 3-When ...
Read more

A Working Mom's "I am" Poem #sol15 Day 16

Image
Disclaimer: I have nothing but respect for moms who "stay at home." It is the hardest job.  In my brief stints being a stay at home mom while on maternity leave and on summer vacations, I know that the days are exhausting and challenging.  This poem attempts to capture how I feel about life at the moment, being a third grade teacher and a mom to 2 kids under the age of 5. I am a Working Mom I am exhausted and never done.  I wonder how to find the elusive "work-life" balance  I hear my alarm go off at 3am and trudge downstairs to do the work I couldn't do when the kids were awake I see my work bag,bulging, begging me to finally pay it attention. I want 5 minutes to myself. I am exhausted and never done. I pretend I can do it all I feel the need to eat lots of chocolate I touch my children's soft little cheeks and hug them. I worry I am missing important moments with them. I cry when I feel like I am drowning from it all. I am exhausted and n...
Read more

#SOL19 You Can Go Your Own Way

Image
If you were looking at an Identity Web for me right now (Sara K. Ahmed's Being the Change has been on my mind with our recent #twtblog series and a book study/ workshop I facilitated with the Long Island Writing Project), you would see the added role of "Daisy Co-Leader" as another hat (or Girl Scout tunic?) I am wearing. My daughter, Megan, is a kindergarten student and I have signed on to be her Girl Scout troop co-leader. My fabulous friend and colleague (and down the street neighbor!) is the leader of the troop and she is everything you've ever dreamed of in a Daisy troop leader- enthusiastic, creative, organized, kind, thoughtful, and ambitious. Our troop has done A LOT in our short six months together.  Last night was another Daisy event. We met up with other Girl Scouts from our town and the town right next to us for a "Paint Night." Each girl got a canvas and paints and was instructed, step by step, on how to make a snowman in a winter sc...
Read more