The pool coughed leaves like secrets forgotten.
Her laughter rose then cracked mid-air.
A stumble, a twist, the world bending.
Bones whispered something they shouldn’t have.
Now she perches, one leg armored still.
A boot swallowing the mischief of summer.
She sighs as the seasons push closer.
The crisp air smirking at her halt.
I offer hands, jokes, gentleness to her.
She smiles through the ache, a lit star.
We joke her boot is a knight\'s tale.
Conqueror of slippery pools and leafy ghosts.
The trees shed freely, unbothered witnesses.
She maps her pain in quiet, graceful strides.
Each step promises stories worth retelling.
Her resilience blooming louder than the fall.