Time Is of the Essence

Now is the time to get things done . . .
wade in the water,
sit in the sun,
squish my toes
in the mud by the door,
explore the world with a boy just four.

Now is the time to study books,
flowers,
snails,
how a cloud looks;
to ponder "up,"
where God sleeps nights,
why mosquitoes take such big bites.
To sew and clean,
paint the hall
that soft new green
to make new drapes,
refinish the floor-
Later on . . . when he's not just four.

~Irene Foster