Through Shirley’s eyes the trees displayed Their beauty as the children played And each time that we went anew She’d ask if once again they grew
Through Shirley’s ears they spoke to her As if her senses merged with theirs The trees still shelter us from rain When on this day we came again
The child who learned to climb and slide Seems tall enough to reach the sky With carrots for the sheep and lamb The child now feeds from her own hand
Families pushing kids on swings While birds, aloft, spread their wings And groups of children form and greet It matters not if e’er they meet
These observations she’d confess In her last years, no worldly stress But what was just within her sight The park, the trees, a child’s delight
Today I sat and watched this child Running freely, confident, wild I thought of Shirley and her awe And wished for one more day with her.
This article appears in Summer of Fun! 2019.