The kingdom

“Look at the sky,” she told me, and she pointed to the clouds

Where the sun climbed an amber staircase above the growing crowds.

As the sun rose, he surveyed, shed his ever-warming ray

And greeted all the commoners from his throne as king of day.

“Look at the sea,” she prompted, and she gestured to the surf

On this high-tide early morning tossing water on the turf.

The sea, she did a summersault as if to greet the sun,

Then slapped the sand and splashed my hand, a jester having fun.

“Look at the forest,” she offered, and she slowly took a knee

To honor the firm and sturdy trunks and lament each fallen tree.

The woods looked on in silence, never letting down their guard

An army to keep the peace when times were easy, sad, or hard.

“Look at the towering mountains,” she nodded to the west

In their majesty of age to give advice, comfort, caress.

The mountains observed kindly, knowing all that’s come before,

As though to give assurance to the world that there’d be more.

“Look at the moon,” she ordered as the king slid off to bed,

His queen awaking and tip-toeing, sunset spiral led.

Her silver features winked and she cooled her kingdom down

So that all the creatures fell asleep without a single frown.

“Look to your world,” she whispered, the mother of it all,

“Look to your world and promise that this kingdom will not fall.

Not to you or to your offspring, to machines or to disease;

Take this world as a kingdom and don’t disrespect it, please.”

Anna Dee Homoki Gresham