Kicking Stones - July 10, 2025

I kick stones to clear the

paths I walk, assuming others, also,

like to look up and out, see the sights

track clouds, bird flight, smells

without worry of a trip-and-fall

a few days later, pebbles are back,

strewn over the trail in an uncaring

display, until I realize, someone’s been

off-trail, pursuing the things I watch

living life up close like I used to,

a past me, when my curiosity was

brave, fearless of crisis or collapse,

bent only on the thrill of discovery

evidenced by those rounded pebbles

of adventure there in front of me,

shed on someone’s passage home

I still kick stones out of the way

walking my favorite stream or

sidewalk, just not all of them,

all of the time