our zoo membership first outing,

an early morning adventure

*

9:15 & the parking lot

already a chaotic tangle

*

legions of little ones

tiny tots, all those eager faces!

*

moms & dads, the grands too

pushing strollers, single

*

and double-wide,

tricked-out wagons, very chic

*

so much to see & we haven’t yet

even stepped inside the gate

~ after Mary Oliver

i know it’s not easy

but try not to worry or fret

*

exert yourself in the pursuit

of your own joyful passions

*

remain open

to what is yet to come

*

learn to embrace

this life you’ve been gifted

when a cool summer day

feels like early autumn,

the dew point is manageable,

and there’s a tease of a breeze

under sunny, pale blue skies,

I’m that wide-eyed 10-year-old

staring up at waltzing clouds

conjuring up audacious adventures

and mysteries I alone might solve,

heedless of the world beyond,

and each of its stark realities