It was bigger than him Smooth heart wood called a walking stick For a three-year-old trying to be older It’s not about walking running Being first down the trail nor about the tangle Of want and need in his legs And it’s not about the way we roll The pitiful scraping of the chin While the spine backbends around The roll and skiddish landing It’s not the extended yeowl or the interminable pause Before there is breath or comfort’s coos…
Susan CowgerJune 30, 2018