An Elder Observes with Delight

With children, every day is drama day,

at least three outbursts each hour:

One per child, more when boisterous.

The falls, bruises, punches, breaks,

uproar and calamity, end-of-world wails,

ameliorated by a soothing tone and gentle touch.

Off again for more of the foolish, the funny.

The dressing up, scripts and characters,

directorial instructions from a four-year-old.

Each in the household is given many parts,

verbally scripted, staged and moved,

the adult subjected to the child Juliet.

Peter Clarke