And
Then There Was One
by Joanne Faries
I
hate being precious
stuck
in a stroller
preppie outfit complete with hat
matching
striped socks, and new red trimmed shoes
I
hate shoes, but they are a challenge
must
begin my campaign with a winner
new
parents, rookie mistakes. I have lung power advantage
wail
and head shake. Arm flaps
hand
slaps hat askew
red
faced I sniffle
Mom
straightens hat, but I renew effort
another
arm wave whoosh, unencumbered head
Dad
surrenders, picks up hat, stuffs it in bag
I
giggle, gurgle, drool so Mom bends down to wipe
my
mouth and kiss my forehead. She smiles
oh
this is too easy
we
roll along a path in fits and bursts. Camera shots
parents
babble, distracted by sights
I
wriggle my toes scrunched in these shoes
concentrate
on right one
rub
against foot rest, it loosens
I
jabber, bounce in my seat with glee
kick
and catch an edge
right
shoe sails on to sidewalk close to grass
stroller
rolls onward, oblivious parents discuss lunch
one
happy foot
jailbreak
joy
Little devil.
ReplyDeleteI love this, Joanne. :-) It was always such a struggle keeping shoes on my kids when they were little. You captured this perfectly.
ReplyDeleteHaha that was very eloquent.
ReplyDelete"Lung power advantage" - so true, and this little poetic narrator is precious because of it. Or maybe more of a devil, as Delores said.
ReplyDeleteClever voice, Joanne. This one's great fun.
I love how this bundle of joy is dressed in a "preppy outfit complete with hat!" And how he can't stand wearing shoes! This reminds me of how much I enjoyed dressing up my boys when they were babies! Of course they were all bundled up, so that no germs could ever get to them! If only I realized it would help build up their immune systems. What an entertaining and clever poem, Joanne!
ReplyDeleteJulie