Cynthia Buell Thomas

Child in a Stroller

by Cynthia Buell Thomas

Tuesday 10th January 2017 12:14 pm (first posted Wednesday 10th June 2015 11:11 am)

Clipping along narrow concrete

Vaguely aware of trees tossing

Bright spring warmth

Dulled by the weight of groceries

And chores yet to do

A young woman pushing a stroller

Approaches rapidly wheels whizzing

With a toddler

Scrunched up and grumpy tiny lips tight

Who watches me press against the hedge

Glancing down into the sour eyes

I smile

And the little face lights up

Like sunshine dazzling through clouds

As the child smiles back

Glorious that smile

Stunning my heart

As the stroller shoots past

‘the whole Earth resounding

With the Glory of the Lord.’

Cynthia Buell Thomas

June, 2015

◄ Morning Mantra

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Comments

<Deleted User> (13947)

Fri 19th Jun 2015 23:36

I read this a few days ago and it has been repeating itself in my head every since. Mostly the one line in which you described the child's face after your smile. 'Like sunshine dazzling through clouds' How beautiful :) Such a wonderful read.

Harry O'Neill

Mon 15th Jun 2015 21:21

Cynthia,
I was sitting alone on a bench near a school only the other day when a class of infants in their little yellow outside jackets passed. Every one - without exception - hailed me with a cheery Hi ya! (much to the amusement of the teachers)..and me hi ya -ing back. Every one of them was a lovely little innocent `cheer you up`.

It wasn`t until I looked at my newspaper (with all this immigration waffle) that I recalled that five of the kids (out of a class of about thirty) were black. (and that I couldn`t really tell if there were any polish kids among them (we have two Polish shops). and I said to myself Blimey!...and this is Cheshire!

Thank God someone is doing an adequate reproducing job for us and helping to provide us with such heart - warming little scenes.

Preeti Sinha

Sun 14th Jun 2015 08:32

Children are very quick to pick off vibes; harried mother probably with so many things to do that she's lost her focus on the real thing: joy.

Beautiful read.

Cynthia Buell Thomas

Sat 13th Jun 2015 10:28

Thank you, people, for reading and commenting.

David, yours is a very interesting take on the poem. IMO, sometimes the 'why's' and 'wherefore's' are just irrelevant, and a special encounter just 'is'. I could do with a lot more of 'just is-ing', because I tend to be very analytical.

Martin Elder

Fri 12th Jun 2015 17:28

Cynthia
This is a lovely poem with such a brilliant end to round it off. 'The whole earth resounding with the glory of the Lord'

Helen Elliott

Thu 11th Jun 2015 21:43

Cynthia, you have captured the moment well. I always smile and chat to children. That's all they want - interaction. I also know how it feels to be the crazy, busy mum rushing here and there and perhaps hoping that a kind stranger will smile and chat to my children, to stop me from feeling guilty about being pushed for time!
Enjoyed this :)

Tommy Carroll

Wed 10th Jun 2015 12:36

Glorious is fleeting friendly human contact CBT ;-)

Cynthia Buell Thomas

Wed 10th Jun 2015 11:26

Thanks, Graham. I've had problems before, copying from my source in Word, in Windows 8. I'm so inexpert (is that even a word?) but I stick with it to see if I can correct the glitch. Multiple copies seems fairly frequent. You sure are 'on the ball'. I have no idea why there is a line 'dysfunction' on the master Poetry Blogs'.

Know what you mean, I do, about chattering children. But I encourage it by chatting right back - block after block. They can be so funny - and very observant.

Graham Sherwood

Wed 10th Jun 2015 11:21

The standout part of this is the fact that the tiny child is facing you and not its mother.

I took my sixteen-month old granddaughter out on Sunday morning and she doesn't stop chattering.

I must sound as mad as those people who walk everywhere with an earpiece in their ear whilst talking on the phone.

Good observation of the sourness of the mother's demeanor.

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