Light in Lakes and Smiles

Lifejacket strung on the clothes line,

Still dripping with lakewater and smiles

From when I skied across the great

Puddle of light that sits in front of me now,

Sitting under a canopy of leaves with universes

At my fingertips,

Hair blowing in my face

That I finally washed

After too many back-and-forths

Of the pool and the lake,

Texting with friends

About movies and books,

And making plans

For a big sleepover

That may or may not happen,

Wondering how people can turn such

A perfect summer

Into something filled with fear

Of news headlines

And the realities they bring:

How the headlines are truths

And what they speak of

Is actually happening,

And how people should let the light

Reflected off water and smiles

Fill them with gratitude

For both the world

And the people that fill it.