1
watching clouds
lying in the grass
slow dreaming
2
dandelions–
are there any four
leafed clovers?
3
bicycles
hot dogs kick-the-can
popsicles
4
rain falling
no thunder—dance with
sprinkler sky
5
butterflies
dragonflies tadpoles
blackberries
6
free to roam–
be home for dinner–
alive, full
My childhood between ages five and ten really was idyllic. I don’t think it’s nostalgia. I haven’t spent time in that place for a very long time.
Kind of on prompt for NaPoWriMo.
K. 
This is a variation on my childhood. (Fewer popsicles and sprinklers for me)
You’ve also reminded me of Edith Cobb’s The Ecology of the Imagination in Childhood. You might feel like you haven’t spent time in that place for a while but it is still in you. It is a vital aspect of your creativity.
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I suspect you’re right D. It’s always there.
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You were lucky to have brothers. With sister (only one ever wanted to go wandering) we used to keep quiet in case there were gangs of boys in the woods, or men with their dogs after rabbits. No bicycles or popsicles for us, and no hot dogs (obviously) but yes, the grass, the clouds overhead and the shapes in them.
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My older brother and his friends would sometimes have “no girls” games. But the street was full of kids and there was always a group to join doing something, even if it was just lying in the grass looking up at the sky. We lived on a dead end street with railroad tracks at the end and fields and a creek on the other side of the tracks. Ideal for wandering. I was very lucky.
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Those are the best kind of peri-urban landscapes, where town and country meet and there’s a lot of vague areas where anything can happen.
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I agree. Also, all the children were always outdoors. That doesn’t happen much now.
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Only in rural areas. Never in towns.
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It sounds lovely. My little sister and I didn’t wander far, but yes, we only had to be home at dinner. We loved the sprinkler and popsicles, too.
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We were lucky to live on a dead end street with lots of kids and fields across the railroad tracks. It probably seems larger than it was.
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That sounds wonderful.
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Curious. masses-of-green – what meaning/memory does that associate for you. I’ve looked at it big & small, some resemblances, but those are mine, not yours. Unless the meaning is just “green”, which would be fine. Nosey me likes looking closer.
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Yes, green earth, blue skies.
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That top image strikes me as a drone shot of a child’s neighborhood summer playground. I love the snapshots from your growing up between 5 and 10, and many of mine are the same.
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Even my friends who grew up here in the city were outside unsupervised all day. Life is much different now.
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I can relate to this completely! Growing up in rural Indiana, summers were free. We’d leave the house after breakfast and sometimes not resurface until dinner time. We didn’t have watches but we somehow knew when to head home! Thanks for the nudge to spend a few minutes in the way-back machine!
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Thanks Muri, and you’re welcome. It was a wonderful time.
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We lived out in the country and we went all over on our bikes, we could be miles away. Fields, creeks, gravel roads. Your poem really took me back to a good time in my life.
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I’m glad. It was a wonderful time. I don’t know if it’s possible for children to live so freely now. (K)
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Oh, what joy! I could lie down in the first painting forever. Such an effective bring-back.
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Thanks Manja. Those were the best days.
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Those were the days, so much simpler then!
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Yes, they were.
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Hi Kerfe, these are lovely reminiscences for childhood. I particularly like the first one. I still like watching clouds.
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Me too. Thanks Robbie.
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