Four Years Old

A fond memory of living in Battery Park City.

I stand by the pier

I’m only four years old

The rocks are large and inviting

I climb on them like a lizard

Quickly and clumsily

The smell of the ocean is in my nose

The sound of the water resonates in my ears

My hands grip the rough rock that I climb so eagerly

I leap from rock to rock

The contrast of the pier is complacent

Compared to the city just behind me

Those are larger rocks

With technology that climbs them for me

There are two large ones

Next to each other

I know them well

I call them the World Trade Centers

But I don’t know why

I’m only four years old

The water and the pier are so much more inviting

I toss rocks into the sea, watching the ripples

In innocent fascination

I love the sound of splashing water

The contact between something hard

Against something invisibly visible

The rock disappears into the water

And so do the rest of them

It’s an encore of splashes and ripples

And glee is evident on my face

Because what would I know

I’m only four years old.

Author's Note

Comment as you please.

Reviews

[Laughing-Bear]

My Dear Writing Friend Chloe,
This word painting makes it easy to see, smell, and hear a beautiful day in a small child life, while playing by the ocean. This poem brought back memories of my own children playing by the ocean off the coast of the Pacific Northwest with glee, totally clueless of all the clatter and turmoil of life inland.
Your line “Against something invisibly visible” was my favorite line. A excellent poem worthy of print in a book of poems.

Blessings, Laughing-Bear

[Calypso]

I have a four year old sister and I often wonder what she will remember. Thanks for helping me remember her.

[Vanny]

100

[Vanny]

The imagry is amazing, I could visualize so well with this write. And I absolutely love the ending "Because what would I know, I'm only four years old" LOVE it! -S...

[*[[ Cadence ]]*]

very well written, wonderful imagery. (:

[Sunni Davis]

You're captured innocence in your words and as others said, the visials were amazing. Fantastic poem!

[Aurora Lynn]

Wow. The imagry that you used in this poem was stunning. I could picture the four-year-old boy climb the rocks, smell the ocean, etc. This is a beautiful example of poetic language.
~Aurora

[Tasha]

Very good visualization, and flowing lines.

[tekphobik]

Great how you capture naivety so well. Innocence is astounding sometimes.