Pages

Thursday, June 25, 2026

Things I Did Understand

Things I did understand ~

questions unanswered 

asking why of no use because 

the answer was ‘because’ 


But when those ideas floated away 

I understood crayons, 

cartoon shapes to colour, 

dresses to cut out with the little tabs


Then I could

design ball gowns

for paper dolls

colour inside the lines


just right for this little girl 

bright crayons within my reach


What I understood was that 

I didn’t need to know any more 

than what the next picture needed, 

which doll I should cut out.


But I filled expectations, 

like setting the table for a meal, 

practicing piano or 

getting cleaned up for church, 

going to school. 


I did understand that I was ‘growing up’ 

but didn’t know that meant 

more than how tall I was.

Today in retirement I am still ‘growing up.’


“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.”

~ Tom Stoppard

(English dramatist)

No comments: