March 2021
Bio Note: The year, from last March to this, seems like a century in many ways; we have adjusted to so many
things! Still so many changes need working on, to bring about a better, more just society. A personal change here, was
being plunged back into empty nest yet again, as our youngest’s school opened up campus, after having shut it down last
Spring. I continue to be grateful for poetry as a way to process the world big and small.
Parkour Run
What ever happened with Parkour?
Does anyone do that anymore?
My youngest used to practice, moving
swiftly with ease; he and his friends leaping
like mountain goats navigating varied terrain.
I have his black parkour shoes from then;
well worn tokens from a younger-bodied boy.
Now, he shaves; makes meals on his own.
Long gone are days of reading stories nestled
together; when he needed me for rides to school,
practice, friend’s houses. Now, I don’t know
where he goes, or who he sees, unless I’m gifted
with a picture. Those texted messages really please.
The moment a “ding” comes in, pulse quickens,
and, if it’s him on my phone, keeping in touch,
satisfying my longing, for one moment
at least, my heart goes for a cat leap, dash vault,
precision jump, parkour run all its own.
Wishing Well
I threw another stone to the wishing well today. A small splash, but a splash none the less. It will hit the water and ripples will radiate to the edges of that well. The stone will join others thrown with intention and hope. Today I will focus on the throwing; the rippling; the intention. I will find strength in the fact that I am not alone taking this action. The arc of Justice is long but acts of faith are relentless; strong. Relentless. Strong. Relentless. Strong.
Originally published in Survival Part 2 Trees, Birds, Ocean, Bees, 2020 Duck Lake Books
©2021 Marjorie Moorhead
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