Safety-proofed Life

written in memory of Julian, two years old

We lit the sparklers, our own little universe of shooting stars

how we ran and ran around the yard

in the new-green June grass, hand in hand,

 

while their tiny fires lit up the evening sky,

 

until we were covered with dew and faded sunshine,

 

your little hand in mine, your little smile in my eye

 

how I thought we were safe, you and I.

 

 

 

All the colors lit up the night air on the 4th of July

 

with cracklings and booms in bright blue hues,

 

oranges and yellows covered the vastness above

 

and we gazed as we lay back on the blanket,

 

melting into the soft earth, under the huge sky

 

until the night turned dark and the cheers stopped

 

until no one was left, not even you and I

 

 

I could have held your little beating heart forever

 

in my cupped hands, I could have fortified

 

our world with stone walls and concrete bands

 

if only I had known more of this world and its demands

 

I could have made the summer last forever,

 

but I did not know, I did not understand the possibility of good-bye

 

outside of this would-be safety-proofed life of you and I

Reviews

[Angel's Lady]

My daughter went away to college, and then to her own life...and I can feel her in every line of this beautiful work of art. Thank you for writing this, even if it did bring a tear to my eye. That's what a great piece of writing does...it becomes a transportation device, and this meets that criteria, for you have certainly transported me to another place in time.

Great write!

[Sam]

It’s a very good poem with amazing descriptions. I felt like I could really see the scene through your eyes. I also felt something, deep down. I was sad because you couldn’t stay with the child you wrote about. I’m curious too. Was this your child or perhaps a sibling? I want to know what happened but I know better than to ask, it’s just not my business. All I can say is that you have a great talent for writing and your poem deserves all the reviews it can get.

[Kira]

Hmm...I'm 13, so I can't empathize with your 'daughter' stuff, and my mom basically lets me do my own thing, so I've never had a safety-proofed life, but despite that I could still see the fireworks in the sky, feel my mom on a blanket next to me, twining our fingers together.

An amazing work. :)