It’s a dreaded sunny day spent
meandering past the gates of the school
yard. Staring at me through the fence
is a precocious little girl in blue-
“I have a boyfriend—” with a very lady-like expression
on her face “—and I love him and he’s
going to marry me and we’ll live in a mansion
and have a hundred babies.”
My quizzical eye is cocked. “Oh really?”
“Yes and he’s going to be an astronaut
and a fireman and he’s going to save a lot
of lives and I’m going to be president and a movie
star and we’re going to be rich and famous celebrities.”
“A fireman and an astronaut?
Your boyfriend must be very smart.”
“He is very-very smart. He got
a gold star on his dinosaur report.”
“You know, I used to have a boy—”
stumble-cough-pause “a, uh....friend
like that too but not anymore...I—”
“Was she your girlfriend?-gasp!-Did you kiss her
on the lips?” “Uh—”
To think I used to dread the recess bell.
She bid me adieu. “You look awful
sad, mister—you should stop by
for lunch we’re having pizza and I—
ooh--can you can come to our wedding?” She asks.
“Maybe. But you should probably get to class”
I watched her queue, childish goose-step to
the metal detectors to daydream through
math or science or spelling or whatnot.
I crossed the street and turned the block,
a drop of sweat after each step it’s so hot
It’s the end of May, cusping on a heat wave
so now it’s a dreaded wedding day; still all I want
is to be wanted more than anything in the world.
