#NotSoClassicPoetry – #SummerMagic – #Bruises

/ Marcia Meara
…Not So Classic…

Time for another “Not So Classic” poem by none other than ME. Hope you enjoy this one. It’s from the first half of my book Summer Magic, wherein the  poems are about my Wake-Robin Ridge character, MacKenzie Cole (or Mac, as he’s called) as a young boy in the mountains of North Carolina. (His Dad took him there for a Father & Son vacation every summer.) Happy Reading!

Bruises

Pale blue eyes,
Fringed in black,
Look out at the world
With the wild, free spirit
All ten-year-old boys
Know how to nurture.

A shock of black hair falls over his brow
As he frowns thoughtfully,
Examining a scab on one knobby knee.
A souvenir from yesterday’s hike,
Acquired while showing off for Dad.
Again.

Long and thin, his scraped-up legs
Have become maps of small injuries,
Tracing each day of his summer . . .
A scratch here, from picking
Wild blackberries,
And a bruise there, from
Swinging on a low limb . . .
Those and so many more,
Evidence garnered while calling,
Watch, Dad, watch!
See what I can do!

Badges.
Attesting to his bravery,
Marking his adventures,
And confirming in his mind
His place among Immortals.

His dad sighs, all too aware
More bumps and scrapes
Lie ahead.
No way to guard him
Against the future bruises
Life will bring.
His boy will be marked,
Abraded by time and
The world around him,
Though some scars will be
Much less obvious than others.
And someday, scabby knees
Will be counted as nothing,
When weighed against
Those other
Invisible wounds.

You can download Summer Magic HERE:
Summer Magic: Poems of Life and Love

 

33 thoughts on “#NotSoClassicPoetry – #SummerMagic – #Bruises”

    • I’m glad you could relate to this one, Jackie. It’s one I really enjoyed writing, and can’t help sharing now and then. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you enjoyed reading it, and here’s to a great day ahead! 😀 ❤

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  4. I remember feeling immortal as a child and that nothing could hurt me. It was those invisible wounds that hurt the most and stayed with me. Well done Marcia!

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    • That’s super to hear, Priscilla. I thoroughly enjoyed writing that book. Haven’t done many poems lately, and I’m thinking it might be time for me to start a new collection. Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoy Summer Magic, and here’s to a great day ahead!
      😀 ❤

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  8. A lovely glimpse of the elation we feel in childhood. I also love the ending with the wisdom of the father looking ahead to his son’s steps through life.

    Summer Magic is a wonderful collection, filled with just that—magic moments! 🙂

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    • Thank you so much, Mae. I’m truly glad you enjoyed this poem, and that you think Summer Magic is a “wonderful collection.” I’ve been considering doing some new poetry soon, and now I feel even more inspired to go for it. 😊

      So glad you stopped by and shared your thoughts, and that you’ve enjoyed my poetry. Poems were the very first things I ever wrote, starting at age 5. (Oh, how I wish my mother had kept the yellow legal tablet I used to write them down. It would be fun to see how my mind was working at that age.) I reckon I’ll just have to write more, that’s all. 😀 ❤

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    • Aw, that’s so nice to know, Gwen. Thanks so much for your kind words, and I’m delighted that you enjoyed today’s poem and Summer Magic. I really enjoyed writing that little book. 😀 And thanks so much for stopping by to share your thoughts. Hope you have a great rest of your week! 😀 ❤

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  12. I love this book of poems and have read them several times now. This one captures those carefree times of youth where bruises and scrapes are shrugged off. Now, of course, I can relate to the last part as a parent, only able to watch the deeper pain from the sidelines. It’s all those experiences that shape us. Beautiful, Marcia. ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • Aw, thanks so much for the lovely comments, Trish. I’m so glad you love Summer Magic, and really love that you’ve read it several times. That’s wonderful to know! I think I enjoy writing poetry more than anything else, even though I haven’t done much of it lately. Maybe I should start writing single poems now and then to share on my blog, and then collect them into another book at some point? That could be fun.

      Thanks again for your kind words! You’ve given me a great start to my day! Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday ahead! 😀 ❤

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