How Beautiful You Are Today, La Canada
After Frank Ohara
by Pauli Dutton

with your blue jays, jittery squirrels, not too many rattlers.
On this summery December day, my husband and I rest
on the front porch and take in the sounds and fragrances
of our street near Angeles Crest National Forest. We bought
the tiny house at the top of the hill because my husband fell
in love with the trees. They reminded him of his summers
at Pine Crest Beach. A block down the road is the school
where our daughter played Mama Pig in the 3 Little Piggies
and I played Art Mom. We wore dad-sized shirts to protect
us from spurting paint the time we imitated Jackson Pollack
with toothbrushes. 40 years of memories come alive whenever
I step out the front door. Once it snowed, children screeched
down our hill on boogie boards, cookie sheets and Frisbees.
The air felt effervescent. The flakes tasted like joy.



 

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