Despite the long and arduous journey to life, this little one remains curious. We spent a wonderful day together getting acquainted.

Grandma!
the word wraps me
in bubbly warmth –
an invasion of limbs
impress upon my heart –
best mood-altering
prescription ever!
(Tuesdays I borrow from Twitter. Follow me @Vjknutson. Image from personal collection.)
September is
chilly mornings
and classroom routines,
cardigans dragged home,
and the onset of colds.
Grandma packs her bag
with activities to distract,
a soup to boost bodies
and an apple crisp
fresh from the oven.
Some days
the best education
comes snuggled under
warm blankets with
inter-generational love.
(For Ragtag Communty’s daily prompt: crisp. Grandma duty calls, be back later!)
Pot-bellied,
am I:
misshapen by age
and gravity – more
rot than plump ripe pear –
still, a vessel for love –
grandmotherly
vase.
(Image from personal collection)
I know what infinity means:
it’s one hundred plus one.
Voice of innocence
serene her sense of self
of life’s complexities.
Should borrow from her,
embrace that confidence,
but worry intervenes.
How do we preserve
the wonder of youth,
save her from cynicism?
That it is! I reply,
my smile a warm hug –
vow to be forever advocate.
(I submit this poem, inspired by my six-year-old granddaughter, to three challenges:
Ragtag Community’s, serene; Fandango’s advocate; and Reena’s Exploration challenge. Image from personal collection.)
Dreams big
this budding leader,
astral charts
painted on her walls,
thoughts always adventuring.
Eight summers
we’ve camped together
grown our minds
and spirit –
an inter-generational
love-in.
(It’s summer camp time at Grandma’s again. Written for Ragtag Community’s prompt, astral, and Fandango’s, camp.)
Years when children,
perpetually in motion,
required a referee –
Mom’s energy replete
so ephemeral now –
time having vanished,
weariness lingering,
savouring memory blurs.
(Inspired by my grandchildren, and the prompts of Ragtag Community: ephemeral, and Fandango: referee. Image from personal collection.)
Child,
delightful youth,
my heart’s jewel,
you are light-bearer,
hope for the future –
antics haphazard,
laughter contagious,
spreading joy,
sparking imagination –
I pray that your spirit
remains joyously vibrant,
that reality dawns gently –
does not spoil the radiance
of your glow.
(Written in honour of my granddaughters, for dVerse pub, where Lillian is hosting and a quadrille based on the prompt spoil is called for. Also linking up with Ragtag Community – jewel, Fandango’s- haphazard, and Manic Mondays 3 Way Prompt – heart. )
All I need is a pair of pink boots,
the audacity to wear my hair
as if no one is looking,
the nonchalance to wear skirts
even on the days I plan to climb,
to adopt a no-limits, thumbs-up
attitude and smile triumphant
as if my world is a bubble
of contentment, needs met,
and no worries about
tomorrow – then I’d be
on top of the world.
Laughter bright as
yellow dresses,
curiosity
and
endless play,
mind and spirit
constant delight –
this is a one-year-old.
(For my youngest granddaughter. I miss all my babies.)