What Do You See in the Clouds?

One of my favorite things to do with my son has always been lying on our backs and looking up at the clouds. He will drop anywhere, anytime to just lie there and look. And, truth be told, I have always kind of prided myself on being the hip mom who, likewise, will flop anywhere, straight-laced suburban neighbors driving by in their SUVs be damned!

Secretly, some days I think he likes to do it because, especially in the summer, it prolongs bedtime. When we are rolling in in our red wagon at quarter to nine after having just had ice cream and a walk around the block, all he knows is, it's dark, it's probably way past my bedtime, how can I make this last? If I pull on mom's heart strings a little, maybe she won't realize how late it is. Or maybe I give him too much credit. Maybe he's just a dreamer and a dawdler, just like his hip old mom!

Here'a a poem I wrote about cloud watching. Probably not one I 'd read to my son. So, are you a cirrus or a nebulous?

What Do You See in the Clouds?

What have you seen in the clouds today?
A horse with wings, leading himself
to water. A blue moon growing month
by month. A carrot in a bowl of fruit,
camouflaged in the midst of peeled mango
and papaya. A pair of young fox
skirting the underbrush.

Have you seen the morning news?
Another car crash,
another roadside bombing.
Antiques stolen, cupboards barren,
secrets whispered
moments borrowed.
All there for your interpretation,
spelled out in blue and white.
Let them turn themselves over
like cards in a fortune teller’s deck,
lazily float on the surface, scatter,
and settle in the breeze
like leaves in a teacup.

So, sit in the sun, open the paper sky,
tip your head back and read your horoscope.
Are you a cirrus or a nebulous?