Magic Wooden Picture Frame

A magic wooden picture frame was planted on a wall
with the picture growing stories every day.
The ground outside their window would freeze in the late fall
and the kids would have to stay inside to play.

The picture had a tree and a green and mossy stone
and a mountain in the background and a stream
and a sky of such a blue that with neither sun nor moon
it was any time of day the kids could dream.

They sat all through the winter and stared into the frame
telling stories about what they saw inside.
And they were never bored together when they played this game,
going all inside the picture with their minds.

Sometimes they’d sit upon the stone, or climb through the tree,
or be chased by monsters to the mountain.
Sometimes they’d sneak by shadow to the lake that fed the stream
where underneath there was a hidden dungeon.

The stream was once alive and it dug mazes through the land
to hide magic boxes, singing books and such.
There were fish-men, kid-hunting worms, even quicksand,
but for great reward adventurers risk much.

One morning when the tree was young they planned to cut it down
to build a thousand picture frames to play in.
Then saying it was ancient they called the tree their town,
and on a branch each built a house to stay in.

They would have gladly played in the picture all the time
as long as they could always be together.
But spring comes after winter when again they’d play outside,
while the wall would hold the picture frame forever.