goodness

what's better than a girl at the playground, glimpsing
her own feisty greatness? Even gray asphalt
turns into glowing launch pad, the ground under her feet
engrossed, now, into making itself a gesture of invitation,
a place for the girl to begin her mark on the world,
an irrefutable act of grace and occasional giggles.

in a greasy second, she could fall, but doesn't,
refuses to give in to gravity and instead,
grips whatever she can get her hands on.

and even though she doesn't have the words,
she grunts her glee into the air,
ignoring the rules, the grumpy sky,
the gulls with their beaks snapping at nothing,
realizing this is as good
as it ever gets, and nothing can stop me now.