AROUND THE PLAYGROUND, OUT OF THE BOX

AROUND THE PLAYGROUND,

OUT OF THE BOX

Behold, a playground box

Designed for those whose job it is

To play outside the box

 

Follow my grandchildren if you will

Kids who excel 
At play

Are your feet bare?

Shoes and socks, a bother

Things for adults to gather 

While the pros attend to what matters

I envisioned 
Begin-here-go-that-way-end-there

But to my Zeus 1 and Zeus 2

The fun was to play god with rules

Fashion a universe

(In a matter of hours, by the way,

Not six days)

Approach the climber from the back

Circle the perimeter

Feet between the rails
And, dangling your toes 

Make up your challenges as you go

On the slide make sure 

Your adult is around

Then go up, not down

And demonstrate 
Why feet are best kept bare

At the swings

It's not swing versus pump

To these chimps

It's shinny up the poles

Skootch across the top

Then down the other side

Repeat

Wherever poles and bars can be found

At the monkey bars swing arm to arm

Knees up, hang upside down

Grab a pole and flip feet down, right side up

Then up the climbing wall in the boring way

Walk the top and jump

To the next object of play.

You get the picture – or a picture of sorts –

From an adult viewing younger sports

While keeping track of shoes, jackets and socks

That is to say, from inside the box

DRK

12/21/14

ON TRACK

ON TRACK        

I meet her occasionally;

we touch, talk,

remain briefly side by side.        

Then, unique in stride,

we separate,

a step at a time –

she, jogging, doing,             

not pressing me;                      

I, walking, composing,

not slowing her.  

          

Amazing grace and gravity

maintain the orbit                                                     

circling our commonality.

                                                     

Dennis R. Keefe,                          

2/11/09

        

GIRLWIND

                                                  GIRLWIND

Whirlwind visits

roil musty grandparent airs

little bodies everywhere

flying, tumbling

never walking

never mumbling

attention demanding

judication remanding

busy visits

sizzling minutes

prying digits

opening doors and drawers

necessitating tornado repair

hurricane lashings

clothes washing

bathing bodies bare

corralling, lassoing

pajama tucking

sucking cocoa straws

blizzard blows

frozen toes

red faces

hot backs by the fireplace

nearly singeing clothes and hair

meme mama,

calming marina from adventure’s harms

anchored captain

steering boatlets

through life’s growing storms

                                                             

Dennis R. Keefe

8/8/05

CYCLE-LOGICAL -- PRESS FOR GO

CYCLE-LOGICAL –

PRESS FOR GO

From many rooms, one    

laundry grouped and basket batched.             

Here’s the rest.

From one, many

sorts:

shirts and shorts

colors, whites

frillies, heavies,

wash and wear.

Wash the worn.

Reach for bleach or

hope in soap.

Batten down and button down.

If wash, then dry.

Wash and dry

dry or not wash.

Some we skip and drip

but more oftener we add the softener.

Stuff the dryer;

Twist and click.

Unstuff                        

and basket batch.

Then sort and match.

Fold OR (not and) hang.

Those requiring ironing,

Press then dress;

If dress, first press

press or no dress

From one to many.

Distribute

rooms, closets, drawers

choosers and users,

and, lo,

Return to go.

Dennis R. Keefe

October 31, 2008