Back again.
Nothing seems different here
yet so much is changing.
When we first started
visiting these woods
our kids were babies.
You would lead the way
with the youngest
carried like precious cargo
on your back.
I always walked behind
''assuring their safety''.
I watched our little girls
as their pigtails bobbed up and down
with their excited trots
trying to ''keep up with Dad''.
They would stop now and then
to poke at a log or flip over a rock
and I would scoot them along
so we didn't get too far behind you.
With each year they've
changed so much.
They're now young adults
yet they still walk in a line
as you lead them
down this familiar path.
They could find their way
through these woods blindfolded.
But they walk behind you
and listen as you explain
the tracks, the trails,
and the wonders of nature
that you have explained to them
every year of their lives.
They listen as if
they've never heard it before.
I wonder if they're really listening
to the lesson on nature
or are they just enjoying
hearing the sound of your voice
as you share your woods with them
once again.
A lovely remembrance. A lovely story beautifully told. Thoroughly enjoyed the journey. Thanks a lot. Love Ernestine XXX
A living memory, these walks, one that your children will cling to all of their lives. This poem gives me so much, Mary. Thank you for sharing the sweetness... Esther : ]
Mary, watching you grow poetically has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life! This is the most beautiful thing I've read this morning!
There is much to be said for family rituals, Mary. You've captured so much love in this piece, love and wondering if that love is enough, if the lessons you meant to impart took. All you can do is trust and, as Crosby Stills, & Nash sing 'Know they love you.' A fine poem. All the best, Hugh
A Mother Who warns of wolves in the woods and shows them that, though their teeth are shiny they end up biting themselves harder, and a father who places the stones that guide them back from the woods by moonlight for when they need to follow the path. Question not your Love for them For They know.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Oh my! This is so sensitive Mary. What a great metaphor for a parent leading their child in the ways of the world and preparing them for life. Once again your perceptions of the simple profound day to day happenings in our lives Rusty