A Brief History of Brevoort Park by Terri Paul

My grandson skids down the metal slide

and across the wet grass, trailing bright

green laughter. When he disappears behind

an oak, I chase after him and run smack

into a memory

of myself as a young mother in this park, chasing

his mother, my daughter, around this very tree.

The same ancient roots caught our toes, tripped us,

as we raced to the slide and thought only

of the now.

She skipped up the steps, called out to me, waved.

Then perched on top, wool hat not quite covering

her curly joy, orange jacket zipped to the very

edge of her smile, she looked up at the early winter sky

and let go.

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Terri Paul is an award-winning novelist (Glass Hearts, Academy Chicago, 1999, 2012) and poet whose works have appeared or are forthcoming in Poetica and Aurora Poetry, among others. Please visit Terri’s website for a complete list of her publications and awards.