Mantra Against Rainy Days
For good luck she told us to say,
“rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…”
many times…one in-out breath…
upon waking on the first day
of each and every month.
The jumble sounded silly,
yet she’d promised it had power.
Since we were just children
and still loved fantasies…
like Alice did in Wonderland…
we thought that on that day
we’d find a genie bottle
abandoned on a shelf,
or long-buried treasure
hidden in the woods.
Now that we’re much older
and still hopeful…secret believers…
on the first day of the month…
especially if it’s raining…
we both whisper the mantra,
and buy a lotto ticket,
and look for change
forgotten in old jackets.
Yet, we’re wise enough to know
the prize is in the promise
and the hoping and the dreaming…
or perhaps that happy silliness
of quickly saying,”rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…
rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…rabbit…”
Bonnie Marshall
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