and I think to myself, what a wonderful world

Today
I woke up
thought it must be around three
realized I'd slept all night
and actually felt just fine

ate breackfast with my beautiful children
well, they're mine for the weekend
(which isn't enough, but.)
mmm, apple jacks
walked to the park
braving even the scary part of the road
where the guard rail forces you to walk
outside the white line

explored the great unknown
over and under trees
across the mud
(OH NO! we'll have to go through it...)
between sticker bushes
avoiding three-leaves-let-it-be at every turn

climbed aboard the coil-animal express
shot off to texas
didn't really enjoy the scenery
(the slides here are much too slow!)
flew to africa
climbed rope ladders and went on a safari
took some bark home in the little wooden hinges
as suvoneirs
flew to oregon
slid down the great pole of portland

trecked all the way back home
(back through the mud
back through the wind
back through the grass
back through the door)

ate lunch and learned the unspeakable joy
which a bag of puffy, cheesy, finger-staining snacks
can bring
learned about a man who stole a rubber duckie
and paid dearly for his crimes
that bastard!

went adventuring
two miles down the highway
to a classy shopping center
where, I am informed
people pay as much as one hundred
(one HUNDRED!)
dollars for a single purse

walk into a dinner
with coca-cola advertisments
(she's pretty! says julia)
plastered all over the walls
sit down at the barstools
and eat single scoops of vanilla ice cream
while trying to make the juke box work for a nickle
which it won't accept
much to fallen faces and sighs

outside we find a fountain
that you can walk in without getting wet
("not THAT wet, anyway")
so we get absolutely soaked
flinging water at each other
people smile at us
in the freezing cold
and we don't feel a thing

we buy a mocha
from a girl who wants to steal my kids
about as much as I do
and I don't get a chance to drink it
because when we get home
it's time to see the horses

they are tall and graceful and curious
pax runs out into the pasture
even when they toss their fearful heads
and neigh their fearful neighs
while julia hides behind
and alexi takes lessons from the groomer

we come home exausted
eat dinner
pile onto the couch
and watch a movie
followed by stories
of samson and gideon and hannah
until it's bedtime
for three routy kids
who arn't tired in the least
and who don't last five minutes
after the lights are out.

now, I ask you, could there possibly have been a better day than that?