Granddad's Lucky Marble - DHR

Granddad carried
one green marble
in his pocket.

He said
it never liked
staying there
after dark.

Every night,
it rolled beneath
someone's bed
and borrowed
a little tomorrow.

Never birthdays.

Never Christmas.

Only the little tomorrows—
the afternoon
you'd finally
learn to whistle.

The morning
you'd notice
the ladybug
on your shoelace.

The day
you'd wave
to the lonely postman.

By sunrise,
it had returned
to Granddad's pocket,
where those little tomorrows
curled together
like coloured smoke.

Sometimes,
he'd hold it
to the light
and smile
at something
I couldn't see.

He said
that's why
old people
sometimes smiled

at empty swings,

at worn-out shoes,

at the evening sky.

They weren't remembering
yesterdays.

They were living
the little tomorrows.

The marble
had returned.

Last Tuesday,
I noticed
a ladybug
on my shoelace.

I smiled
before I remembered
why.
Copyright © | Year Posted 2026

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Murphy Avatar
July 4, 2026 at 11:26 AM
So creative! Love how the swirl in marbles came to mind when reading “curled together like colored smoke” part. Congrats!
Rodrigues Avatar
July 3, 2026 at 6:15 AM
Love this! Congrats, Leona! Smiling at the treasured moments of simplicity! One of my favorites was during the pandemic when my 5 year old grandson was on his scooter trying to follow a butterfly, “Aw…it flied away,” he says, as he came to a quick stop. He would also collect those dandelions on the road and we would put them in a pretty teacup.
Crandall Avatar
July 2, 2026 at 10:56 AM
Wonderful!
Agustin Avatar
June 23, 2026 at 12:09 AM
Thanks for sharing this... exposing your thoughts through your unique poetic style. Welcome to Poetry Soup. I welcome you with the love of the Lord, expressed by John 3:16 of the Bible, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Be blessed.
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