Mom time

my mom was having
a rare good day
her smile reached her eyes
she gathered up
my sister and I
in a warm embrace

sun was shining
on that summer day
warm breezes blew
you could smell the heat

she had decided to
do a fun project
we weren't sure
what to expect

she had gotten
white T-shirts
her old pair of white coveralls
necessary ingredients for tye dye

i can't remember her
being so colorful,
playful, the sun leapt
off her auburn hair

she let us bundle the cloths
in rubber bands
and dip them into
the colors of the rainbow

finally letting them rest on
our worn picnic table
where colors ran free,
and she had not a care

it gave me so much hope
to have her this way
even if it was spotty
and nonsensical in my four
year old mind

when it happened
it was as if a fairy
had come along and
sprinkled fairy dust
bringing her magically to us
when it was so needed