Between Bruises & Blooms

He reaches for leaves
like they’re stars hanging low enough
for little hands to borrow.

Every trail becomes a kingdom,
every bridge a race,
every fallen log a throne
for a boy who believes adventure
is waiting just around the bend.

He smiles with his whole face—
dimples deep enough
to hide tiny pieces of sunshine,
eyes bright enough
to make ordinary afternoons
feel like summer stories.

He runs because walking
would waste precious time.

He climbs because the sky
always looks closer
from one branch higher.

He laughs because joy
has never needed permission.

And somehow,
without ever trying,
he reminds the world
that wonder is not something we lose—

it’s something children carry
until they’re old enough
to teach it back to us.

My Theo,
you have always been
the boy reaching upward,
never asking if you can,
only believing you will.

I hope life never teaches you
to stop reaching.