ORDINARY STONE

by Donald Carlson

Funny how kids know

what things are really worth—

Take my granddaughter

stopping and stooping to pick

up an ordinary stone

lying in the backyard grass.

We adults just step over it,

but it catches her eye and she claims it for her own.

Smooth and rounded with a soft glow—

if you’re looking, you might see a similar sheen

on a mild night when watery clouds

slip across a waxing moon.