carefully

like making lace
go slow so you don't
make a mistake
so you don't turn the thread
and make it twist into a knot
listen to this

a bird was just outside
so softly singing
couldn't barely hear his song
and yet the melody
made my day sing

i want you to tread carefully
i put on this brave front
so i can join in with the fun
but really i am timid
as young deer
when the threat of the hunter
appears

like the slow trickle of melting snow
over the moss strewn rocks
hard boulders covered over
almost with a velvet green
soft yet very slippery

and just below the small cascade
an alpine flower buds
and strains towards whatever
light the canopy of trees allows

i want you to tread carefully
i put on this brave front
to join in with the fun
but underneath is a marshmallow
heart
sweet and like a pillow
left with a dent in the middle