“Outdoor Play Time, 29 April 2020”

The tilt of the Earth brings us closer to the sun
We call it the spring in the northern hemisphere
My mom on the porch reads a book to her grandson
While we wait with impatience for the governor’s “All clear”
 
My nephew plays with sticks and a dead bug in the dirt
His babbling a welcome redirection from the fray
As my phone keeps insistently promoting each alert—
— I silence all distractions from the holy work of play.