paint the world in sidewalk chalk

and be proud of how you walk and talk

dream of places far away

they’re not so far, that’s what to say. 

breathe the music and the beat

savor every bite of sweet

the sweetness of laughter, of november air

the sweetness of joy, the sweetness of care

the sweetness of raindrops in a sun shower

the innocence of a daisy flower

an untied shoelace kissing the pavement

an unwanted un-wished-for gasp of movement

read the stories of heroes and cowards

smile ten times every hour

walk in the footsteps of the marchers and the singers

the beats of bare feet

the world is never complete--

it is an unfinished art drawn with sidewalk chalk

purples and greens and lines and dots

i tell you, paint this world in sidewalk chalk

let it stain your fingers

let it rain, don’t let it stop

that pretty thing known as sidewalk chalk.