OLD BONES NO LONGER MOVE THAT FAST

Old folks like to see things grow—

even a petunia or a blade of grass will do.

But very young kids, most of all,

bring smiles to the eyes of fossilized bones.

The sheer energy that makes kids move,

is a joy to behold, a forgotten memory

of days gone by.

What is treasured more than anything

is the touch of a baby’s skin—soft and alive

as the gloss on milkweed floss,

barely remembered, but urgently desired

in the waning days before their lights go out.