Monday Morning Musing, OriginallyColumbus, Ohio

June 7, 2021

Columbus, Ohio

B and I sat on the blanket on the expansive lawn last Friday evening. The summer evening event in our town was underway...food trucks and magicians and jugglers and even an acrobat. Children played and chased one another under the watchful eyes of their parents. Bicycles and scooters leaned against massive tree trunks. Toddlers rode on their parents shoulders.

As the sun set, the sky turned the particular shade of pink that Ohio skies turn at this time of year. As we waited for night to fall and the outdoor movie to start, a helicopter flew overhead. "That's MedFlight" I noted "on the flight path to Nationwide Children's Hospital." And we were quiet for a moment and then our thoughts turned back to the evening.

The next day I learned that I was right, A big sister, age 4, and her little brother, 2, drown in the pool behind their home, slipping through a missing two foot span of fencing. There was no pool water in the pool, only the accumulated muck of rainwater and leaves. But that was enough.

Benediction on a Summer Night

June 5, 2021

We spread our blanket on the

Lush lawn,

Blanket upon blanket

Of early summer grace.

Families gathered from around

Children chased,

Game upon game

An anticipated freedom.

Bread was broken and

Meals shared,

Treat upon treat

A foretaste of the feast to come.

In the distance, a siren

A pool

Cry upon cry

Two children lost in its depths.

I lay back, unaware of the sorrow

Looking up

Star upon star

A final benediction.

Julie Hutson