By ZoE
Date: 13 August 2000

Kindergarden

The little girl cluthes her music box
opens and closes it
she can make the music stop
if it gets too scary

A little boy watches me
wink at him as I pull out of
the parking space
my hands shake
ashes falling from my cigarette

Johnny, I tell my mother about you
when I drive her to the supermarket
I tell her how you clean up the table
before we leave the resteraunt

The girl in a pink dress,
walks all the way up
the giant steps
to touch the pope's hand,
said to be the purest mortal

Wendy, at 10 years old
cluthes a photo album
shows me pictures of her
with her daddy
before he left for desert storm

Johnny, I tell my mother about you
as I clear dishes from her worn table
spilling glasses and continuing
forgeting the juice splattering on the floor
I tell her about how you
only wanted to give it up to right 'girl'
mom, says maybe I am the 'right' girl

A little girl walks up the meat isle
she carries a big hunk of ham to her
mother's cart and she doesn't need help

Cam, you make up my bed on the floor
and at 12 years old you are a superhero
in your he-man sheets

Johnny, I tell my mother about you
when I lie in bed and she rubs my back
like I'm still a child
I tell her you drive slow around speed bumps
you make me feel more beautiful than any boy has


Back to the Heart-on-Sleeve Corner