further advice to my daughters

I wrote an apology to my daughters once, I had neglected to teach them about the importance of jumping in mud puddles. My many thanks to friends who were responsible in large part for these further lessons . . .

It is important

to dance

on the edge of propriety--

sometimes--

there are fountains

public

that simply must be waded

in summer's degrees of heat.

 

And it is your shining destiny

to melt

stolid pre-conceptions--

to fan the flames where others fear.

There are countless adventures

waiting

for dark-eyed girls

like you . . .

 

***************

playing with heat

****************

 

it may have been the heat that sent us splashing in the public fountain

it may have been Anna's delighted look at the thought of such charming adventures

it was more probably Sarah's instinctive fear of flouting the edge of propriety.

and so we entered en force, three adult women, old enough to know better,

one excited child

and one almost teen who wished for the cloak of invisibility.

and the water was fresh and cool and lovely,

the other children all thought so.

and mostly we just did it for Sarah

so that she could conquer her fear of what others think

if only for a few sweet moments in the fountain

and there are other adventures

waiting . . .

 

 

Reviews

[JohnL]

Aahhhh! But what a lovely mum you really are. And what a wonderful piece of poetry to express your feelings about a problem that must have faced every parent at some time. I am sure there has been no lasting harm done by just a little over protection.

I must confess to my geat familiarity with 'mud puddles' and am thankful for the longish string I tugged in my youth - but boys are different are they not?

John

[Gobinder Singh Dhindsa]

Its very good... Keep it up!
God bless you!

[Nishant Gupta]

nice one do read mine too "QUEST OF LIFE".

[a donkey, briefly]

what a brilliant way to express urself thru ur daughters
well it expresses us all as best we can understand ourselves
WELL DONE

[G. Marie"floating on an..]

I really enjoyed this poem...... reminds me of a song....... if given a chance to sit it out or dance..... I hope you dance......... sometimes we have to take a chance in life great poem..... I wished I had told my daughters the same but I guess I did in other ways......

[Chris]

Daring to be who we are... is important.

[.n.]

What a wonderful lesson for young girls...so important if they are ever to learn to love themselves and not be dependent on the opinions of others to validate them. Such a sweet, inviting scene you've painted here.

Thank you for reading and reviewing my poems Emily...much appreciated!

[fargone]

this is beautiful, emily....and i agree whole-heartedly with the sentiment. convention would keep us in our houses wondering what we're missing. lol, i for one refuse to die wondering. a wonderful poem, beautifully written and expressive and evocative. u teach ur daughters well, my friend :)

[An Ordinary Woman]

charming as ever, friend. ....(returning for a second read):

[Sel Whiteley]

Love this, it's so sensitively drawn, so direct and tenderly written.