A Child’s Glow

7 March 2016Josie, S, Alex ‘16; Photo by Mark Wismer

Editor’s Note: Earlier this term the students of Mr. Ganley’s English 12 class had the opportunity to select a writing assignment: they were free to select the topic, form, & criteria. The results were exciting and diverse: short stories, letters, blogs, public speeches, and this terrific poem by Josie S, Alex ‘16 who, by the way, also has the fasted 2k erg score in the school. Enjoy this creative and insightful reflection on childhood.

A Child’s Glow

There is something spectacular about childhood

something about sleepy voices of children 

high and sweet as sugar

how they wave innocent hands

pale and untouched like the moon

how they can be full of life

yet pure and unscathed by it

There is a spectacular glow

in waking up at seven-thirty to eat pancakes 

and running through the sprinkler in pajamas

on a sunny afternoon

heads held high and full of sunshine

feet left bare and faces dirty

Children are walking pages of an empty book

jumping into the arms of anyone who will fill their pages

little fire crackers of humans

they have barely seen exhaustion 

that exceeds the walk home from a soccer game

Fresh in their minds are manners

how to say the magic word

and hold open the door for grandma

kindness isn’t forced

and rudeness is scolded

There is something special about a sleeping child

breathing soft and eyelids twitching

falling asleep in the backseat

or readily calling Dad’s arms home

on the ride home from a birthday party

They look at life with trusting eyes

like it could go on forever

and getting older is exciting 

having a first time for everything

first day of school

the beginning of the end

The afternoons will have a funny way

 of turning into blurry memories

just like cuts and scratches fade

and soon they’ll grow out of their sugar voices

and rip holes in their favorite jeans

too big to sit on Mom

If every child starts as a seed

they will, at some point, need a bigger pot

to hold all of that life

that at some point starts bursting 

spilling out messily 

and the special glow of childhood

will gradually slip away.

Josie, S, Alex ‘16