When I got in my car and adjusted the rearview mirror,
I saw a child,
a child who wanted to roll in the grass, get ladybugs in her hair,
hold handfuls of dirt, squish berries beneath bare feet
a child who wanted to tell the world to stop screaming its
insecurities in her ear,
stop snapping its fingertips in front of her face
I started my car and pulled onto the road
found myself in a school zone but refused to slow down,
drove in fifth with the windows down
blinded by
hair
wind
music
light
Then, the tickets:
speeding,
not signaling,
failure to yield
Slowing at a yellow light, I stopped at the red,
grabbed my unruly curls and put up my hair
snapped on my seatbelt, adjusted my mirror
The child was gone, and I sat in her place
Beautiful poem skillfully executed; I loved it.
Bob Balkan (carol’s friend)