The thrill that I can run 9 miles
On a Sunday morning
And go to work

The joy of shopping
Buck’s Rock style
Traipsing from shop to shop
Checking in on campers
Seeing the art and creativity in action
The way cardboard and fabric can be transformed
The way metal can be molded
The way entire world's can be created with a brushstroke 
Chatting with my fellow counselors

The thrill of playing in a pit band again
The joy of rehearsal
Of reading music
Of counting
Of figuring it all out

Being inspired by the creativity of the kids
A piece of yellow paper
Cut and twisted and folded
To look like a block of swiss cheese
The template for poetry

Opening Day!
The campers are here
The energy is palpable
The creativity is flowing
Summer has officially begun

I startle a deer eating breakfast in the tall grass
She bounds away, leaping through the air
The heft of her
She is magnificent
Such a deer!
I had seen her earlier with her fawn
Startled them both
The baby darted away
Mama following closely behind
I huff in the smell of the woods
The pine is my favorite
Bury me beneath a pine tree
So I can spend eternity
Buried in the hummus surrounding her trunk and
Blanketed in pine needles

My campers arrive tomorrow
Last bits of prep
Meeting agendas set
Door signs and name tags made
In the evening
A barbecue at sculpture
Toasting marshmallows on long sticks over the fire pit
The smell of smoke
The sound of laughter
The joy of friendship
Old and new

​The delight of moss
The green of it
The velvet of it
The magic of it

Finally getting a run in
The hills of Connecticut
Thank the uphills for the stretch
Bless the downhills for the relief
The beauty of the mist

How you’re revitalized
On a hot afternoon
With a packet of
Salt and vinegar chips
And a nap