This Child

    Across her bedroom, dollies peered down
    from shelves, bridging walls
    with ruffles and pearls--
    like an extension of her childhood.

    The blue tea table was always
    set for a cupcake party,
    beneath Daisy Kingdom curtains.

    We made a four poster bed, suitable
    for a princess. After she snuggled
    under the covers, and I sat gently
    on the edge, it collapsed--and we laughed.

    Today I see her dollies, again. They line
    her daughter’s walls, still wearing
    the same dresses.

    The Bavarian girl fans her apron
    of lace, and holds her skirt out. The Victorian
    lady keeps her parasol tilted by her side,
    while the school girl, with a giant bow
    in her hair, dangles a violin from her arm.

    Above, in the center, is the angel. Her wings
    filter sadness from each dream, as she balances
    above the bed. As if God, Himself, has flown
    from a cloud-- just to bless this child.