How to equip kids
with self-belief and grit
no magic checklist
just love and example
experiential tasks
leavened with learning
extending the leash
to allow exploration
push to venture
beyond comfort zones
.
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2
and George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue
pinnacles of piano-playing prowess
especially performed with full orchestration
immense appreciation for these keyboard feats
from this erstwhile advanced intermediate
with abundant hours of diligent practice
for high school success as choral accompanist
yet light years away from highly trained talent
for mastery to play these magnificent pieces.
Petal by petal
life slipping away
jaunty farewell
with each discard
faded remnants
in pile beneath
yellowed-green stems
fully undressed
bearing witness
to once glorious moment.
Slow unfurling
in northern woods
subtle stages
of set sequence
hints of green
then colored wisps
purple, yellow
mostly white
spreading carpet
of reassuring blooms.
Stuck in neck brace
like purgatory
from mishap
down the stairs
trapped for weeks
betwixt, between
without agency
and autonomy
premonition
of aging woes
future prospect
of lost selfhood
though not ready
to acquiesce yet.
Rock scrambling done
too fraught for feet
familiar routes
steeper, sharpened
formidable
with chancy balance
three-point progress
beyond my grasp
seaside rock-sitting
best, now sufficent
birdwatching views
still in easy reach.
