1881

Once, I had my own circle.
There was me, and me alone.
So there I smiled, and laughed, and played
and I was happy.

Then there were two —
one little red, and one little blue.
So we played together,
and laughed together
and held hands
in our forever playground
under a velvet purple sky.
And when I stood in my little blue circle
I looked at you in your little red circle
and thought.
And I said, “Hello,”
and you said “Hello” back
and then
we were friends.

Then there were three.

She came in a little yellow circle
with a smile, so dazzling
a green smile, an orange smile —
a rainbow smile.
She held both our hands,
and we stood in a ring
but I saw
a little spot of darkness
shining in its heart
and growing
and growing.

I looked at you,
but you looked at her
and she looked back at you.
I said to you, “Let’s go and play.”
but your hand left mine
and you skipped away with her
in a new
orange
playground.

And I said to you, “Let’s go and play.
Please.”

And you laughed together
with her.

So I stood, and my circle was blue —
perfect blue
melancholy blue
again
always
and I drew a line around my circle
and coloured a tiny patch at the edge
purple.
That would be where we had played
and laughed
and held hands
once,
where I saw you
and liked you
and loved you
still.

-fin-

dX(c)2008