when i was seven i posed
like a movie star, all arms
and puckered lips.
(my mom traced the creases
that circled my knobby knees.
they reminded her of my dad.)

my mismatched relatives
stood at the zoo entrance.
flamingos full of balanced
wonder, pink with shrimp pigment.

the colors of those years
were never faded or gray.
eyes open to bright blondes
and painted waterfall enclosures.
i thought the animals lucky,
surrounded by amazed faces.

06/18/2008

Posted on 06/18/2008
Copyright © 2025 Meghan Helmich