FOUND

By a gate, on the ground, it lay,
damp and somewhat dirty,
dropped or discarded,
a child’s soft toy, an animal of sorts,
and of uncertain species.

A creature once of comfort,
a bedtime companion,
calming and cooling,
helping to close another day
of adventure, fun and finding,
or even occasional fears,
and frights.

But now, lost
in a moment of distraction,
and – come bedtime – a moment
of disturbance and distress.
A battle then between
tiredness and tears.

Soon, however,
sleep draws a gentle curtain,
and soft dreams erase:
soothing, then refreshing,
painting the dark sky
bright again, bringing
a sweet forgetting.

Come morning
and the child’s soft toy
is just a memory, no more:
lying by a gate, on the ground.
and now, through these words,
found.


13 January 2015