Peonies. Because this place could use something bright. Something unabashed and splashy and bold.

Something pretty and soft, when all I see out the window is desert, brown. And the greedy clouds that hold onto their rain even when they crowd the sky each afternoon, as they often do throughout monsoon season (may they let loose the rain, soon).

Because I want to plant peonies when we’re settled, so that in a year or two or three, I can shake the ants off an armload of their blooms and bring them inside for the dining room table. Or so that Elle can pile her small arms high with them and make little arrangements to spread throughout the house, as I used to do with violets when I was her age. As we may both do, next year.

Because so much is contained within a blossom that hasn’t quite opened. (A whole world, it seems, in such a small thing.) All that hope, all that promise. Potential.

What could be. What will be.

What is already, even if we can’t see it, or know it, yet.

When Cammie emailed me to ask if she could feature a post of mine on her website MomsMaterial, I was delighted and flattered.

This site is like the pages in your favorite magazine that give you great ideas about books for you and your kids, style, parties, and more. And one of the guest posts just ahead of mine was an animated post by Holly from June Cleaver Nirvana (if you don’t know about her animated stories, you’re missing out). I knew I was in good hands for sure.

Here’s the link: The Map by Jennifer Harvey Helps Me Make Peace With My Wrinkles

So I said I would do this thing. If you could see all the scraps of paper and utility bill envelopes and Moleskine pages, you’d know that the lyrics didn’t come to me in the space of an afternoon or even a week. A month of here and there (and sometimes there is the shower, or the car, or when I’m on the way out the door…not so convenient, let me tell you), and some good advice from someone who knows a thing or two about writing songs and poetry, and here we are.

I promised not to half-ass it, and I hope I’ve kept my word. What I can’t say is that it’s completely finished. It won’t get there until I can sit down and work with a songwriter, since I can’t write music, at all. (In my head, I can hear the song, mid-tempo, folk-alt country-something, but that doesn’t get me very far, does it?) There are still some syllables to count and cadence to improve, but I can live with what I have for now.

I do feel that I should password-protect the lyrics, so I hope you understand. If you email me using the form at this link (or directly: jennifersharvey at gmail dot com), I’ll send the password to you right away.

Here’s the link to the song