Kids

I am six
Gathering
Fallen autumn
Leaves into walls
Making a house in
The backyard rooms
Doors windows as my sibs
Are busy with other pursuits
We fill our days playing and
Learning how to resolve a
Group conflict allying in
Shifting alliances but
Seldom with our sib
Closest next in age
We draw on local
Kids auxiliaries
In our play to
Protect what
We create
Or build
But the
Wind
Scatters
My leaf house
And I learn about
How transitory life is
But no matter Mom has
Ovaltine chocolate milk and
And peanut butter and grape
Jelly sandwiches for our lunch
Manila paper and crayons to
Draw house plans with an
Open courtyard like the
Pictures of old Roman
Villas and ships
With sails as
Varied as
A kid’s
Imagination.