meringue mountains and a lemon drop
hang high on a sea of blue
marshmallow elephants float on a wall of water
sinking out of sight as they swim across the sky

where a dragon lurks in tree shadows
tail leashed loosely to cherub fist
swooping suddenly to chase its captor
pulled through the wind on a string

raindrops fly up from the ground
playing tag with tadpoles
who jump through swaying showers
squealing as icy drops collide with skin

soapy bubbles jump through hoops
lit with rainbows the size of a smile
somersaulting on air til – pop!
a soft mist of slippery laughter

bare feet dance across emerald threads
tickled by their cool touch
racing to the path that snakes its way
to our magic fortress in the woods

leafy covers conceal twisted branches
with fairy magic and secrets woven
a lair to share our most treasured trinkets
and draw our dreams in the dirt

til daylight dwindles and our names echo
across cool night air – time to go home
leaving our castle brimming with hopes
of digging for dinosaurs and sliding down rainbows

                                                                  SL

 

43 Responses to Through Sparkling Eyes

  1. brian miller says:

    ah, magic…love this…the rain flying up was a nice touch and the rainbows in bubbles…barefeet is always the best…big smiles for the is one…

  2. Rg says:

    Hi Shelley ..I think you have out done yourself with this. So much beautiful imagery to consume. Snap Snap 😉

  3. Deeone Higgs says:

    Hi Shelley, 

    Wow! I totally agree with Rg on this. Awesome use of imagery here, Shelley. I could totally envision the dragon, castle, and of course my favorite… rainbows. 😉 Great job! 🙂

  4. Hi Shelley,
    I really enjoyed your poem! Beautiful, light and happy imagery! I’ll be back!
    Lori

  5. This was light and fun and youthful – felt like a kid watching this scene unfold.

  6. claudia says:

    oh nice..like it much…that would’ve also fitted the fairy tales poetics prompt on saturday…nice and playful…and yeah…i’m always up for sliding down rainbows…

  7. Pat Hatt says:

    Such a magical tale, very nicely done!

  8. hedge witch says:

    This is delightful, full of fun, froth and lighter than air, with a very genuine feeling of childhood, something very hard to capture –I esp like the image of the dragon–“tail leashed loosely to cherub fist..”

  9. Stu_mcp (hate & hope) says:

    Shelley- this was like a fantasy bubblegum sky ride through an ancient land of friendly dragons, rainbows and magic! This is So so positive – it says to me- the imagination makes anything possible – so go for it. A happy and well weaved tale!

  10. Divalounger/Audrey Howitt says:

    A magical frolic–in and through dreams–loved this piece!

  11. Aaron M Kent says:

    I would struggle to find a poem with better imagery than this.

  12. It was a lovely read.  A tale you could read to young kids just before bed, so they go off into some lovely dreams. 
    Enjoyed it very much Shelley. 

  13. Oh, this was magnificent, Shelley! It was such a wonderful adventure, and I agree, it would be wonderful to read to a child before bed.  Lovely write and read! 🙂

  14. Jackiedick says:

    What a delight to read, Shelley…what magic!  You’re the pal I built sand castles with at the beach…the friend in the backyard camping in the tent…loved this!

  15. Sam says:

    What a lovely poem… and full of wonderful imagery. I can definitely see the appeal to children here and it would make for a very animated read :). Well done!

  16. Jannie Funster says:

    Quite stupendous! had me from the first sentence.

    Want a lemon drop now!!!

  17. Martin Shone says:

    Hi, Shelley, well I’ve read it three times and also read the comments and I’m afraid I am lost. It is full of imagery etc., and sounds like fun but, sorry, I just don’t get it.
    Now you see this is my problem, I find it very difficult to read ambiguous poetry (ask Rose (granbee)) as I can’t see images in my mind.

    Thanks for tweeting me the link, though 🙂

    • No worries, Martin. I appreciate that you took the time. Everybody has different taste.

      I don’t usually send it but your tweet about bubbles inspired me to.

      It’s really just about looking through the eyes of a child at the sky, flying a kite,  playing in a  sprinkler,  blowing soapy bubbles, and off to a fort in the woods til they’re called home for dinner… childhood memories that turned into a poem.

  18. brian miller says:

    hey thanks for bopping in today…smiles….hope you are well….

  19. charsuzi says:

    Ah this frees the child in me to see wonder…I love escapes into imagination

  20. Bob Francis says:

    Smiles in my heart and me! Thank You♥

  21. DebbyBruck says:

    Dear Shelley ~ These words collide creating bubbles of sunshine. Fantastic imagination to juxtapose imaginative creations of air, sea, soap, frogs, dinosaurs and more. It’s like the heart dancing. Blessings, Debby

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