Monday, May 01, 2006

First stars and wishing wells

First stars and wishing wells 
-a poem for Aysia

 Since the age of three 
she’s been reciting familiar 
rhymes and wishing on stars. 

There’s a fountain in Ghirardelli Square, 
sea turtles and mermaids on rocks 
breastfeeding merinfants, 
where wishes are sunken coins. 
In December she tossed in a dime. 

The backyard is smothered 
by dandelions turning white. 
Last summer, her small hands 
held one out to me, 

Look mommy, a wishing flower! 
She closed her eyes and inhaled, 
 formed a perfect pucker and blew
tiny parachutes into the air. 

I ask, What do you wish for? 
She looks up, her brown eyes earnest 
and whispers, You can’t tell wishes, 
 they won’t come true. 

But I know she wishes 
for no such thing as 
divorce. 

The mower grinds and spits. 
I top one and watch her seeds drift 
off on the wind; breakaway wishes 
destined to be weeds.