There’s a place in my garden
where I keep all my tools,
my tickets to ride
where the animals go.

One feather in hand
and I start to rise,
one mud-caked stone
and I’m climbing mountains.

Somewhere for me
to have oodles of fun,
somewhere to romp
amongst the wild things.

One jewel of a leaf
and the jungle calls out,
one serpentine stick
and they’re running for cover.

One shell full of water
and I surf angry waves,
one lace from a shoe
and I’m swinging from branches.

Mind where you step,
you could join my next ride;
mind where you sit,
you may end up inside: an elephant’s trunk,
a shark’s mouth, a tiger’s jaw!

 

 

 

Julie Stevens writes poems for both adults and children. They sometimes reflect the impact MS has on her life. Her children’s poems have been published on The Dirigible Balloon, Better Than Starbucks, Brian Moses’ blog, The Poetry Realm and The Reading Realm, and in anthologies. She has two published adult pamphlets: Quicksand (Dreich, 2020) and Balancing Act (The Hedgehog Poetry Press, 2021). www.jumpingjulespoetry.com