My side of the lake

How is the weather on your side of the lake?
Over here it’s been raining for days.
Tell me, how high does the grass grow over there?
And how often do the fireflies play?
Over here we’ve got mothballs and curtains and chairs
And a broken old piano and a ticket from a fair.
Over here we’ve got tin cans and old hats and warm sweaters.
Over here we have fun no matter the weather.
Over here we’ve got gray skies and a fireplace and a book.
Over there you've got a motorboat, a counter top, a breakfast nook.
Over there you’ve got a 30-inch flat screen TV.
Over here? We’ve got marshmallows and everything to see.
So I say, keep your steel and your granite and your hedge funds and law firms.
Keep your tennis skirts and fake candles and apples without worms.
Keep your not-brown grass and your cocktails in mason jars.
Over here we've got bedtime and walnuts and stars.

roxyforthewin

MA

YWP Alumni

More by roxyforthewin

  • Loon Song

    Author's note: I recently found out that a school that I loved sold their camp in the Adirondacks, where I have many fond memories. This grief inspired some writing, which I have posted below. 

  • Bells

    Once, on a fine September Tuesday when the air was bright and clear, every bell in the world rang at once. They didn’t play a song. There was no melody. Just one collective ring.