An old lady lives in a house up the street
from Grandma’s. It is one of my favorite
places to go in the whole world. It is like
nothing else I have ever seen in my life.
There is an old screened-in building
in the middle of the grassy lawn,
right next to the large circle of red lilies
that grows every year. I have to look
up to see their flowers; they’re so tall.
The hummingbirds like the red flowers.
A large pond covered with a fishing net
is my next stop. The lady says the net
keeps the big white birds out. The big
white birds like to eat goldfish.
There are a lot of giant goldfish in the pond.
All the fish are different. Some are solid black,
white, or orange. Some are spotted or blotchy,
some look like swimming kaleidoscopes.
Their tails and fins differ as well. Some are
short and stubby, while others are long and
flow when the fish swim through the water.
When I talk to the fish, they rise to the top,
making it look like they’re gulping air above
the water, but they want food.
They always want food.
The lady who lives there loves the fish.
She makes tea in the morning and sits
outside, watching them. She named
one of the fish Charlie. I don’t know why.
There is a big box where the water flows
out, splashing down through the fishing net.
The fish love the water splashing into the pond.
They swim where it hits, frolicking in the sunshine.
After I look at the fish for a while, I walk
along the brick path behind the pond,
through the flowers and bushes. The flowers
are lovely and are different every time I visit.
The gardens have a lot of decorations: statues
of animals, an old sewing machine, a millstone,
bird houses, pyramids of rocks, and little gnomes
on bicycles.
No, they’re not real gnomes.
There are a lot of birds there: blue jays,
sparrows, chickadees, woodpeckers, juncos,
cardinals, and crows. The lady doesn’t like
the ssparrows.
There are also a lot of fat squirrels.
The lady doesn’t like squirrels.
If you are very, very quiet and look closely,
sometimes you will see chipmunks or a bunny.
After I visit for a while, Grandma takes me
home. I always thank the lady for letting
me visit. She seems sad sometimes.
I think she is lonely.
If we time it right and the lady knows I’m visiting,
she will give me warm chocolate chip cookies
when I leave.
I could live there — It is even better than watching TV.