I fantasize about a mud Anna,
a figurine of clay, made at the riverside,
a thing that children do, their mothers
playful, too, their daily work
fresh with discovery

I reimagine life as full of play,
needs for survival
managing to bump along somehow,
be met in flexibility
instead of worry,
with laughter
instead of anxious toil

It could be possible, not that I have a key
for reinventing work and play
in our society,
but for myself, I think I’ll find a sweeter way
the more I can allow myself to play.

©Wendy Mulhern
July 31, 2022