My Son

Our church is creating a web site. I'll give the address soon, but it's still under construction. Anyway, I'm slowly entering into that site all kinds of things from old files in the garage. I came upon this "poem" I wrote, shortly after watching Peter or Jonathan get off the kindergarten bus. I don't remember which one it was, but If I do say so myself, I like the poem.


From the living room window,
I see the school bus suddenly come into view,
Bright orange in the winter noon day sun.
It squeals and comes to a stop.

The door opens,
And my son bounces out,
Coat unbuttoned, no mittens, hatless.
He runs homeward.

His yellow backpack is swinging wildly.
Suddenly he stops,
And turns toward the orange bus.
He waves it good-bye.

He turns again towards me,
Towards home,
But is distracted by something high up in the sky. . .
Maybe a cloud, or a bird, perhaps the sun?

He’s talking to someone
Or something
Or is he singing?
Singing to the sun?

Again he begins his walk,
This time with mouth wide open,
Eyes closed.
He meanders blindly as he catches,

Cold crystalline snowflakes
On his warm outstretched tongue.
He runs into a snow-bank,
Opens his eyes,

And begins kicking at it,
Digging a dark tunnel into the white mound.
This doesn’t last long,
And again he’s homeward bound.

No. Not quite.
He’s heading for an evergreen.
He shakes a branch
And watches the snow tumble down,

Into his untied wide-open boots.
He laughs.
Again he’s singing. . .
Or is he talking.

Talking to the tree?
He finally turns into our driveway.
An icicle clinging to the bumper of the truck,
Attracts his attention.

He crouches and observes.
He kneels close and licks it.
He breaks it off and picks it up.
Standing, he meditates deeply,

Into the brilliant depths,
Of the cold sharp diamond.
Moments later, he turns toward the house,
And moves slowly, aimlessly, frowning, deep in thought.

He looks up,
Into the brilliant glare of the living-room window.
Not at first,
But eventually,

He sees me shadowed in the brilliant rebounding sunlight.
Suddenly his frowning face brightens and gleams.
It gives me joy and fear when I realize
That he is looking at his sun and I am looking at mine.