Memories of a Child*

Early morning~
The air is crisp, the wind--gentle
The lake is like glass
All is quiet, all is still
It smells like sunshine
I hear your footfalls outside~
You are enjoying the world as she blinks her eyes open,
Welcoming a new day.

Mid-afternoon~
Sun blazing--the air is warm
A breeze is dancing on the water
Lifting it up, so it rolls to shore
Slapping the sea wall with a quiet rhythm
The smells of the lake hang in the air
Kelp...fish...
You can't smell it everywhere, just in certain spots
I hear your hammer, building...something
The Island always seems to need your helping hand.

Dusk~
The sky blushes a pale pink
The lake is still busy with the noise
Of a few people--
Enjoying the last bits of daylight
The buzz of bugs
Begins to fill the breeze
The day is growing hazy and the air feels thick
You look tired.

Night~
Darkness wraps the Island
Like a heavy cape
The ink-like sky goes on forever out here
Jet black
Jet black but smeared with the milky streaks
Of glittering stars
The colored lights you strung on the trees
Sway in the cool night air
Like overgrown summertime fireflies
And when the day finally closes her eyes
You are outside with your friends
Sitting at the water's edge
Reveling in the day's final moments
And as I drift off to sleep
The last thing I hear
Is the sound of your laughter.

*Written the night before my father's memorial and read by me the next day at his service.

Me and My Dad