Pockets
When I was little
Everything was done for me
Clothes were put on, faces were washed
And dinner served at six from a high tray.
I often dreamed as I got older
Of a pair of short trousers
The kind worn by western campers
Or adventurers in jungles, mountains, and deserts.
Mothers are wise
And know a child’s mind
Without a word spoken
They gather thoughts inside apron pockets.
The package arrived unceremoniously
Wrapped in plain, brown paper
With a name I was told
In no uncertain terms, was my own.
Mother insisted
That patience was a noble virtue
And so I must wait
For the appropriate time to receive the gift.
A waiting child counts
Minutes like hours, hours like days
In the relentless obsession
Of uncovering the tantalizing unknown.
So, when the day arrived
Where I was allowed to see
What mother had ordered
The energy could not be contained.
Family and friends were much more impressed
With the rocking horse and erector’s set
That sat ignored on the table
While I was overwhelmed by the box
That housed the green-gray trousers.
♦
Despite the prickling cold
Of the early spring morning
I emerged from my room
Ready for the day’s adventure.
The warm sun did little
To penetrate the heavy chill
Built up by months of winter’s
Blanket bunched along the curbs and gutters.
Once outside, I stood alone and proud
Examining each and every
Zipper, pocket, and pouch
Of my newly-issued uniform.
It occurred to me
Upon this initial inspection
That each one of these repositories
Represented my first freedom –
The day continued with vigor
As the treasures of the earth
Lined my new pockets with
Their full weight and substance.
I gathered rocks, rubber bands
Discarded marbles, misplaced pennies
And other things that caught my eye
Foraged and found with my own two hands.
The cargo shorts bulged
With the gold and silver
Of rusted Hot Wheels and old acorns
Gouged out of the dirt.
Sadly, mother never shared the full joy
Of the treasured horde
That I laid at her feet
Still, a fitting tribute to the noble queen.
Yet her lack of enthusiasm didn’t dampen
My unsinkable spirit
As I knew tomorrow was another day
To seek even greater treasures
And fill the pockets that now lay empty.
