This Morning's Commute

I sat at a window seat on the metro. It was still dark outside. I looked out at buildings, lit from the inside, and cars on the street, with their lights on. I wondered how many people were still in bed. The passing sight should be more familiar to me than it really was. I rarely looked up from my reading material. I admonished myself for not knowing it better. At East Falls Church, I put away my magazine and closed my eyes, but I did not go to sleep. I would get off before the end of the line. 

Collage 32

It was treat

When Ông came to town

He showered us

With love and hugs

Drakeson and I

Did not mind it

I even posed

For a picture

While Ông held me

Was it just once?

No matter

He must have missed us

When he had to leave

But he said Florida was too hot

In late July

So he didn’t come

With us to Disney

It was my first time there

And I loved it

As long as Mama

Was always nearby

Or at least Dada

Was there for me

Bà and cô Liên came

But I wasn’t ready

To abandon Mama

So I cried

If someone else held me

Unless I knew

Mama was out of sight

Now that we’re back home

Cô Liên has left

Ông and Bà are not here

I kind of miss them

I bet Drakeson does

Too

I know they’ll come

To play with us

And watch us grow

Mickey can wait

Until next year

But Bà and Ông

Won’t take that long

To be together

With us

Again

This year

Disney Trip 2016

The third annual Orlando trip had a sweet surprise

Liên came and spent some time

Exploring what there might be to find

Together with the gang of five

We surely had fun together

Running from one park to another

Enjoying the myriad things they had to offer

It was magic that we were after

Disney did not fail to deliver

Thrills and wonders - to our delight

We shared our utmost enthusiasm

For Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Expedition Everest was not far behind

On the list of our favorite things to ride

Besides the more pleasant ones for the little guys

Like meeting with Ariel and posing with Mickey

Or trying to catch the 3D characters of movies

Like following the pirates into their covers

Or going on the trail of beasts of the wild

Like riding the colorful horses of the carousel

Or being wide-eyed watching fires explode in the sky

Like cheering for Pete’s Dragon of the Electrical Parade

Or being amazed at the mighty birds’ speed and grace

Like gently rolling on the tram tour of Tomorrowland

Or becoming the Lion King Festival’s honored fans

Like visiting dancing ghosts in their Haunted Mansion

Or brushing the hair of the goats at the Affection Section

Like sliding down the water chutes and lazing on a float

Or enjoying the IllumiNations’ Reflections of Earth show

Like swimming under the waves at the Typhoon Lagoon

Or flying on a pirate ship over the land of Peter Pan

Like frolicking with cousins on the Epcot ground

Or watching the fishes swim and the hippo lying down

Like journeying into Imagination with Figment

Or flowing down Kali River Rapids - The fun had already begun

We went away with pictures to share

With stories to tell and memories to keep

We will come back when a year has passed

And the magic will touch us just as it has in times past

Collage 31

Summer’s fun

Has just begun

At Castle Grayskull

Yet it has brought

Double the fun

For Lana is here

She’s mobile

She’s growing

And I’ve learned new skills

There are things

I can do

And she can, too

Like sharing

An ice cream cone

We’d want amaretto cheesecake, if you please

Like quenching our thirst

With cool fresh water

From a fountain

Like sitting

Totally unassisted

On the floor

Like flashing

A winning smile

Especially for the camera

Like getting

All wet in the pool

Sporting cute swim caps

Like crawling and scooting

On all fours

Though I gave that up long ago

But there are things

Only big boys can do

And she’ll have to

Wait a while longer

Before she can

Catch up to me

Like riding a bicycle

Without training wheels

On the hot asphalt

Like kicking a soccer ball

Into the net

Scoring a goal

Like solving a 63-piece puzzle

Or even 100-piece ones

Without help

Like having hair

Long enough

For a braid or a ponytail

Like riding with my cousin

On a toy vehicle

In Katy, Texas

Like cavorting

With my friends

Sometimes kissing them, too

Like sitting on

The green rocking chair

Reading a book, by myself

Like not needing to be carried

When going places

Such as Finding Dory

Like swimming

The whole length of the pool

And diving under the water, too

There are things

We won’t outgrow

For many summers to come

Like being held

And cuddled

By Dad and Mom

Lake and Falls

I often live vicariously

Through her adventures, exciting and wild

But sometimes I get to be

In the same place with the girl who likes to hike

She shares my love of going places

Seeking new horizons, meeting new faces

I hope our passion will not wane

When our health and strength still allow us

To venture beyond the comfort of home

Wrapping ourselves in the beauty of the world

Yosemite

In June when the weather

Was still like spring time

My sweetheart and I

Travelled the mountainside

Of Sierra Nevada

Where giant trees live

And beautiful waters

Fall from great heights

We crossed many streams

Walked on fallen logs

Hiked steep hills

In rocky terrains

Got lost in the snow

Still left behind

Followed the footsteps

Of those who marched ahead

To find the trail

Which leads to the grandeur

Of mountain ranges

And granite cliffs

Among them

Some bear famous names

I marveled

At the wonders Nature gifts us

The timeless beauty

Of Yosemite 

Baby Selene

Though you are not here,

Your presence is felt.

From the moment we met,

You’ve been a friend.

More than once we changed addresses,

Our friendship didn’t end.

Today I hold your grand-baby,

The first you won’t see.

I imagine your laugh,

As pride swells inside you.

You touch her soft hair,

Which is black as coal.

You kiss her wide eyes,

Which intensely gaze at you.

A doting grandma you’d be;

You whip out a magic wand.

And she’d be draped in laces,

Frilly dresses, of pink and white.

She gurgles her delight,

You respond in kind.

I call her a princess,

You nod in approval.

What a beautiful baby,

Basked in radiant love.

You whisper ‘Selene,’

Her name sounds so sweet.