My Word of the Month poem for January

Hi everyone,

Here is my poem for January’s Word of the Month Challenge, an autobiographical effort. Don’t forget, the word this month is PLAY.

Learning How to Play

On hot days, before
I was old enough for school,
my mother would spread
a magic carpet on the hardwood floor –
an old quilt, really – 
                            but once stocked
with comic books, crayons, and paper, 
I could fly anywhere as long as I remained
on the carpet and didn’t tumble off
into the hardwood void around me.

Armed with super powers from magic snacks,
I whiled contented hours, dreaming,
exploring my version of the universe,
rescuing, conquering, drawing my adventures.

At other times I joined in games.
I flipped marbles, joined my parents
when dominoes or Monopoly came out.
But that wasn’t play, not really.
				Play came 
on a hardwood floor. On a magic carpet.
Play came from seeing what no one else saw,
surviving unspeakable dangers, vanquishing
giants and dragons. When I was young,
too young for school, I learned how to play. 

(c) 2025 David L. Harrison, all rights reserved