to bend the twig

good parenting

as I sit on a rise

above the tumbling creek,

just at the edge of where

pavement yields to trail,

a young family enters the woods before me,

they choose to follow the old path

down to the creek,

where they spend long minutes

enjoying exploring, throwing rocks into the creek,

the dad rock hops to the other side

and follows his own whims for a bit,

while the mom, baby on back,

enjoys the edge of the stream with her two daughters,

I notice a few rocks splash,

and I hope the magic works for them,

“as the twig is bent, so the limb’s inclined,” 

advises Alexander Pope,

these parents bend their kids 
to appreciate untamed nature,

as they walk away, 
they notice me 150 feet away,

I lightly wave at the dad,

he returns the wave,

then the mom does, too,

I appreciate them, and their parenting,

their kids are lucky.

by Henry H. Walker

April 5, ‘19