The Parade

Noiseless confetti blowing over dirty bare toes

where joyful chaos recently was;

an invisible wall between here and back there

but what is time?

The hands of it snatch things as they pass.

One and then another, lyrics and lilacs,

lovers and laughter, blithe leaps

into aqua pools, shiny red sweets.

A fleeting thing, in the blush of life

hands covering ears as the drums pass by.

Brilliant cacophony, sticky juicy caramel apple

melting around lipstick the color of tulip stains.

Then... all is quieted.

Blonde turned gray in the course of that day

while nobody was looking, or they looked away.

Baton became cane as they passed round the bend

skirts getting shorter as they marched that way.

Rose petals whispered: love you... love you not

the perfume and the thorns sweet bitter melody

twisted up like ivy, tendrils to the heart; climbing

branches to eternity, omnia vanitas.

Peering from the rocking chair, blurry halo memory,

hands of crepe folded delicately, a whisper on the wind

speaks of carousels and candy; warm breath on her skin,

wasn’t it just yesterday? The paper dolls and revelry;

the parade-- and then its end.