Childhood by Candace Echols

Sweet Summer days bygone
sun-drenched morns made
of chubby toddler legs,
splashed
with sprinkler spray,
and checkered picnics in the Gardens.
Everyday.

Exhausted by one
and too much fun, they
gave in
and crashed.
Red-cheeked naps and sweaty heads,
fans and forced air lull them to dream of all the good things.
Every which way.

Then, evenings filled with the scent
of Daddy home from work,
tickling cheeks with his bristly
moustache,
and grill heat waving through the orange sky.
Churn churn churn of vanilla sweet just before sleep.
Everybody hit the hay.

When the legs grew longer and
raced out of school,
we drove straight to the beach!
Fast!
Pimento cheese and cold fried chicken in the Igloo between the seats.
Oldies danced through my hair and Jim and I
watched the trees go by.
Every May.

All the Every’s played a cruel trick on me: they pretended it was forever, and I believed.

The old beach beckons my old affection
for warm sand, sun-filled skies, and tradition.
But those must not eclipse my love for my children and my God-given
task.
So, I say today—sting as it may—
Settle down shoreline, waves go to sleep,
I’m still rocking my babies,
and
babies
d o n ’t
k e e p . . .

Candace Echols and her husband Jim live in Memphis, Tennessee, where they are raising their five children and their Bernedoodle, Rookie. She has written for The Gospel Coalition, Risen Motherhood, Deeply Rooted, Style Blueprint, and Storyboard Memphis. This past year, she released her first children's book, Josephine and the Quarantine. Candace loves the fine art of asking good questions as well as traveling. She can't wait to return to England sometime soon!