by IRENE FOWLER, Contributor

“I believe in liberty for all men: the space to stretch their arms
and their souls, the right to breathe and the right to vote, the
freedom to choose their friends, enjoy the sunshine, and ride
on the railroads, uncursed by color; thinking, dreaming,
working as they will in a kingdom of beauty and love.”
– W.E.B Du Bois

“Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine.”
– Charlotte Brontë, from Jane Eyre

“O, Sunshine! The most precious gold to be found on earth.”
– Thomas Mann

To read Irene’s new poem “The Sun Came Out to Play” click:

The Sun Came Out To Play

by Irene Fowler

The sun came out to play
Galloping nonstop atop mountain ranges
Dipping in and out of vales
Shimmering on clear, gentle, meandering brooks
Peeping through dense forest trees.

**

The sun came out to play
Blanketing school yards, fair grounds, and sports fields
Pirouetting on town and village roof tops
Hopscotching on granite street pavements
Racing along nickel-silver railroad tracks.

**

The sun came out to play
O!  happy, radiant, dazzling-day
Glistening on tear-shaped raindrops
Chasing heavy, dark-gray clouds away
Enthroning blue skies with golden sunbeams.

**

The sun came out to play
Polka-dotting humpbacked whales
Dancing with roving wolf-packs and skipping with lambs
Warming gorgeous butterfly wings
Luring desert meerkats from tunnel cubbyholes.

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The sun came out to play
Kissing the lips of grand-opera performers
Dusting off writers’ cobwebs
Specking the maestros’ black and white piano keys
Highlighting the artists’ broad paint-brush strokes.

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The sun came out to play
Choosing hide and seek as a jovial pastime
Yet, forever flashing a royal-flush
Loving, dependable benefactor in the cut-throat survival game
Winning the most valuable player award.

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The sun came out to play
Pasting a beaming sun-smile on every terrain
Coquettishly promising everything
Carefree beauty, laughter, fun and joy
A never-ending exhilarating pageant, and brilliant game-show.

**

© 2023 by Irene Fowler