Carousel Pantoum

successful
climb onto the horse’s back
with two daughters helping
and two granddaughters hoping

the climb onto the carousel horse
began with fearful anticipation
and two granddaughters hoping diminished
the dread of failure and quick dispatch to the boring chariot

what started with fear and anxiety
shifted into unbelievable coordination
and this 82-year-old woman eliminated the chariot dread
replacing it with circular excitement

the coordination shift
was greeted with glee
and the circular excitement
erupted into wide-flung smiles

gleeful greetings
flew to all she knew
and wide-flung smiles
filled photos and her heart

she knew and cherished both carousel and visible ocean
two daughters helping her accomplish late-age dreams
filling her heart with love and
success

The post The Summer Carousel appeared first on Ann Freeman Price.

366. Carousels and Tire Swings

I have always loved carousels—not so much as a child but as an adult—just something about the lights and the music and the spinning round and round. So wherever there is a carousel, there I am, riding a horse up and down.

When Donna, my oldest daughter, lived in Buffalo, on one of my visits we went to the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum in North Tonawanda. It opened in 1915 and still has two historic carousels to ride, one dating from 1916. We were the only visitors that day and got on the carousel. The man operating it, said, “Ready?” We said, “Sure.” And off we went—fast! I mean fast. I held on tightly and when we got off we commented on the speed. He said that’s how the carousel started, as an adult ride. It slowed down considerably when children started riding.

Another time we took two days in Binghamton, New York because they have SIX carousels and in the two days we rode all six—Donna, her two children, and me—happy as a lark.

And always the Ocean City carousel. Grandchildren rode (I think just to keep me happy and so I would have company). Last year I couldn’t get on the horse, so I rode side saddle—still good. This year, the year I was eighty, I couldn’t get up at all, so after some good tries and a boost from Donna, I sat in the chariot. Yuck!

Earlier in the summer I determined I would have a ride on my youngest daughter’s tire swing—and same result! I got up on it with the help of three or four other people but couldn’t hold myself upright. My son, David, said, “Mom, you’ve got to work on your upper body strength.”

So all summer I have—and guess what? David’s house has a tire swing too and this fall I got on and stayed on for a short while. Still have some work to do on strength but the goal is a carousel horse next summer in Ocean City!

The post Carousels and Tire Swings appeared first on Ann Freeman Price.