inspired by "Seven Years" by Norah Jones
She carries the sun lightly in her palms
And buries it deep beneath the earth
As far as her hands can dig
Asking the insects and creatures of their travels
The soil feels fresh as it rolls on her skin
And she molds it into tiny figures to keep the plants company
Strings the grass into embraces with the roots
Rivers some water into the intimate spaces only it can know
And onto the parched mouths of her toes
She shifts attention as quickly as the bees that buzz past her
Never wanting to hurt her but to suck the pollen from her hair
And whisper some jokes into her caverned ears
But the butterflies are quicker to tickle the tip of her nose,
Staring into her eyes as if they were two lanterns
Eclipsing and spinning with the bubbling giggles
She muffles beneath the waves of her lips
She is some seven years old
But hides more in the treasure trunk of her mind than she’d care to know
She is an ancient song whistled through the breeze
On summer days when the ice cream bells jingle
And the tire swings creak and kiss the cheeks of clouds
She is the sound of a jump rope ticking time into the asphalt
And dandelions sprinkling remembered wishes like snow
She is today, this moment
So insignificant but she knows she will remember it forever
She takes the eyes of the sun
And watches herself from above
Writes some words into its roots and buries it
As far as her hands can dig
She plants and strings this root like a stitch into her mind
Knowing she will never forget
Knowing she will love like this forever
