Suburban Moment

A segment of an acre
where a child must be confined,
host to all the neighbourhood
whose lawns remain uncluttered,
whose children find escape in
this one yard; no tree to climb,
no pool to fish. A mother stands,
pen poised above commitments—
budget straining, hard to meet—
taking delivery of play equipment factory-made to man's design:
and her ancestors smile down.

Joan Millier