Perfectionist Rehab

Watermelon popsicle drips,

Fireflies dancing along fingertips,

Dandelion wishes sticking to skin,

Swimming with make-believe fins,

Zinc lotion slathered on noses,

Splashing each other while watering roses,

Strolling on trails,

Making up our own tales,

Wasting time – nothing else to do,

Except witnessing life with you.

It’s easy to fall into the same pattern,

Thinking that rest should be earned,

Caught up in the good-old days,

Sufficient reason for the delays.

Sparklers, charcoal sizzles,

Bug bites, apple juice dribbles,

Fluorescent swimmies and rainbow chalk,

Daddy and I unable to talk,

Over the laughter, the ruckus,

“Hey come see this!”

Bouncing on trampolines and blowing bubbles,

Totally insulated from life’s troubles,

We skip and we hop, frozen by sprinklers,

Marshmallow smiles, solar twinklers,

Chlorine and coconut, spearmint gum,

What a gift to create summer fun.