Choked up with weeds,
hard to mow around now
the grass has grown back
where feet always wore it thin.
Spiderwebs on the swings
that sway with wind.
The even-spaced metal bars
hold no memory of hands
that gripped them so tightly
before letting go. 

Chip of sidewalk
in her hoard of rose quartz,
amethyst, obsidian—

is this granite? Marble?
She thumbs through
her guides, weighs
in her palm the mottled
gray mystery

from the ever-moving
swirl of a mixer
some decades ago
when our working class
suburb was a new idea.

How do I tell her
it’s not important—
man made it,

when she is learning
to collect without bias
everything good and solid
that holds us up.

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Renee Emerson

Renee Emerson is a homeschooling mom of five who can usually be found at the library, on a nature walk, or reading Tolstoy.

She is the author of three collections of poetry, the most recent of which is Church Ladies (Fernwood Press 2023), and the middle-grade novel Why Silas Miller Must Learn to Ride a Bike.

For her book reviews for the whole family, check out her monthly Renee's Book Bag on Substack.

Latest posts by Renee Emerson (see all)

• Two Poems for Summer - June 11, 2025
• Review: Between Flowers and Bones by Carolyn Leiloglou - November 25, 2024
• Beads and Buttons: A Poem - August 14, 2024