The Parade
(Inspired by the novel City of Stars by Mary Hoffman)
*
Look at the pretty flags, my child:
pink and white, yellow and red.
But you can't see the pretty flags, my child,
from a cold hospital bed.
*
I will lift you like a scrap of silk
so you may see outside.
I will hold you up by night and day
if you'll only open your eyes.
*
Can you not see the horses prance
with ribbons in their manes?
Can you not hear the drums, the pipes
and me, calling your name?
*
Can you not smell the roasted nuts
from the vendors' painted cart?
Can you not feel your father's arms
or the beating of his heart?
*
The flags are kissed by the summer wind
in a cotton-clouded sky,
but their grace is lost to my little boy,
who will never see them fly.