A got a on the plane
To fly away
Away from the hurt
Away from the pain
I flew to my safe place
To the green green grass
To the blue blue lake
To the athletic fields
That filled me with confidence
The home I longed for
There was no place I needed more
I was in a bunk
With six or eight or ten
A setting that was zen
I was allowed to be happy
Fell safe
Play all day
Feel the love
Cover the pain
Of a little girl
Who wasn’t ready to unfurl
The morning would come
Reveille would sound
To the flagpole we went
To hear about the day
To make sure no one would stray
My counselors were sent from grace
To make a safe place
To care for a wounded soul
Who just wanted to be whole
I played all day
On the fields
In the pool
On the courts
In the lake
Every activity burned with a special feel
Wounds began to heal
The leaders of the camp
Where like parents to me
We called them aunts and uncles
They were more like protective shells
Who oversaw us with love
They were sent from above
Aunt Lois had a special ritual
Every night would end
With 100 girls in a circle
Connected by friendship and love
Intertwined fingers
And the singing of taps
The night wasn’t over
Until we passed the squeeze
From one hand to the next
To demonstrate our connected whole
And restore our collective soul
The campfire would burn
Love was in the air
A protective safety net was thrown
Around us
So we always knew
Nothing could divide the gold and blue
When the summer came to an end
We would write letters for the ride home
We would cry
For the special place that would sit empty
Until we returned
The next summer
With stories to tell
Songs to be sung
Games to be played
New friends to be made
I got on the plane
To fly away
To return to the pain
That awaited on my home terrain
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