Maymont

We drove to Richmond,
Arriving around lunchtime.
I had packed sandwich fixings,
And we ate in a butterfly park
On the grounds of an old estate.

There was a small petting zoo,
And though the chickens
And Muscovy duck
And Babydoll sheep
Entirely ignored us,
The various types of goats came up,
Looking for food.
And the Clydesdale and the sika deer
Watched us warily.

Isaiah had the map, and asked to keep going,
To the Japanese garden, about a mile away.
And so we strolled there,
Passing a caged fox, and blooming daffodils,
Admiring the local birds of prey on exhibit:
Great Horned Owl, Spotted Owl,
Red-Shouldered Hawk, Red-Tailed Hawk,
Bald Eagle.

The Japanese Garden was all Isaiah could have hoped for,
And all the boys ran happily, up around a waterfall,
Over the stepping stone “bridge,”
Looking at koi,
Touching bamboo.

And the tulips in the Italian Garden bloomed,
And the James River twinkled in the distance,
And the climbing tree in the manor’s yard
Proved irresistible.

We even had a moment of
Children running on the hilltops.

Two hours of joy, under a perfect sky.