Poems for the Youngest Among Us

written for Narberth Presbyterian Preschool, January 2025

1.

O magnolia bud –

You are gray and green and soft

And someday you will be

A star of satin cloth.

But for now you’ll keep

All that glory

In a perfect sleep –

Your story

belongs to Spring.

2.

Snowdrops grow through snow –

Glow on green stalks –

Swan heads dipped toward dirt –

Look at their kiwi-colored spots!

We like snow drops – lots!

3.

Look – lichen!

Lichen can look like lace

Lovingly sewn upon logs

Like leaves glued on to rocks

Like mermaid hair – gracefully

Dangling from trees –

Lichen is a living thing.

Lichen wreathes

The forest into being.

4.  

I

Am a London Plane Tree –

See

My knobb-le-y trunk?

My

Puzz-le piece bark –

Dark gray

 and lichen-pale?

​

Day after day

I

Shed my skin

To keep bad air away –

And pests at bay –

That’s why they say

I do so well in town.