Imagination & Mural of Love

"Paint me a picture, Mommy" she demanded. And so I painted one. A huge mural that stretched forever - a mural of words. Words that spun tales like my foot on the pedal of the spinning wheel as it gobbled raw chunks and twirled them into long continuous strings of oily wool.

Words that exported us into the universe as we floated on the backs of unicorns, sailing through galaxies and sipping from the stars of the Milky Way. Words that bounced and soared, skipped and tickled.

Words that crept quietly, rustling in underbrush. Creeks of words that gurgled and slid, bubbled and sang along riverbanks of imagination. Words that flew and darted amongst tall cedars and scrambled lightly over soft, spongy, needle-laden ground.

Words that crouched in trepidation, hiding in long fingers of dusky shadows before bursting into the bloom of golden sunshine and sparkling with prisms of dew.

Words that danced, played, tumbled and somersaulted. A mural of love.

"Imagical Mom"

I will take
your small hand
and lead you softly
through lush forests
pause to lay
on spongy beds
of fallen needles
squint at blue sky
blonde sun peeks
through cedar boughs
dappling earth
woodsy fragrance
bites your nostrils
make animal
cloud shapes
touch gently
petals of wild flowers
play peek-a-boo
through fern fronds
hide and seek
in roots of
hollow trees
whisper secrets
to giggling streams
picnic behind drapes
of willow trees.

I will sprinkle stardust
tickling on your eyelids
and take you
on journeys
where unicorns fly
catch tails of
shooting stars
slide down
rainbow bannisters
bounce on trampolines
of clouds
tumble with trolls
dance with fairies
laugh with elves.

Some day you will
look behind
and know
that I have taught you
- magic.

© AJC