Sophie.... Poem by Reva Kern

My granddaughter Sophie
Toddles by my side
Bringing bread
As we descend down
The park path
Which spirals like a serpentine
Around the hill
To the pond
Where mallard ducks
With green iridescent
Head-feathers
And coots as black as coal
Await their treats
Sophie so painstakingly
Pitches forth
With all her might
Arm held high
Above her head
Tossing each piece
As far as she can
While the birds
Fuss, flap and fight
Over the morsels
Some of which sink
To the bottom
To be retrieved
By others
Whose tails point
Skyward
As they search
The bottom below,
And when the bread is gone
We continue
Following the meandering path
Skipping over slippery stones
To the waterfall
To watch as it twists, turns and tumbles
Over rocks
And under the very bridge
Upon which we stand
For a few moments
Before making our way to the
Gazebo
Set high above the water
With a spectacular view
Of an adjacent pond
Of cascading water
Of tall grasses bending in the
Breeze
Providing hidden hideaways
For feathered friends, and then
Our journey takes us to the
Forest of oak and sycamore
Where the trickle of a gentle
Stream
Beneath the footbridge
Beckons us to linger,
To sit, to enjoy the coolness
Under towering trees,
Each with our own thoughts
Sitting side by side
In our own special place-
My granddaughter and I.